


Call Me and I Shall Come

by Larxicana



Series: Linked Universe [5]
Category: Legend of Zelda, Linked Universe - Fandom
Genre: Breath of the Wild Universe, Brotherly Love, Confusion, Family Feels, Friendship, Humor, I suck at tagging, Mistrust, Mystery, introductions, remembering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-01-11 19:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18430517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larxicana/pseuds/Larxicana
Summary: The legendary heroes from across the ages are gathered for a purpose that is unknown to them, thrown into a world that's familiar, but far from home. However, when Twilight looks across the expanse of Hyrule field that stretches out towards a castle covered in darkness, he can't help but feel like this world is also his home. What sort of dangers lurk in this world? Who is in need of their help? And why does the mysterious whistle that seems to travel impossible distances take hold of Twilight like a spell?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Linked Universe created by Jojo on Tumblr! Ya'll NEED to check this out! it's amazing and it gives me life <3
> 
> Also this is a work in progress, but I'm hoping that posting some chapters will help motivate me to finish it.

When they had all tumbled together out of whatever crazy, magical portal thing had sucked them up from their worlds, it had been a relief when Twilight saw Time. Amongst the chaos and confusion, he was something familiar, comforting, and strong. When he started barking orders to the others to try and get some organization going on in their group, Twilight followed without hesitation. He understood their connection, more than just destined heroes, and remembered how he helped him when he was on his own mission. If there was anyone who could turn this mess into a team, it would be him.

They had all landed in a forest that was familiar, yet different. At the top of a hill, they could make out a mountain range that seemed to be cut right in half, then a volcano to the north. “We’re in Hyrule,” Time spoke, “but this seems different than what I’m familiar with.” He pulled out his map to study and found similarities, but it was clear his was far too small for this world. They all compared maps to see that none of them matched the landscape. They weren’t in any of their own worlds.

“But this is Hyrule.” Four spoke as he tucked his map away, then crossed his arms. “If we’re in a different version that none of us are from, then…”

Sky gasped as his eyes brightened, “There must be a new hero! We must be in his world! We should try to find him!”

“In a world this big?” Legend asked as he rose a brow at him. “I don’t know about you guys, but this is the biggest kingdom I’ve ever seen. He could be anywhere. We can’t just run off on a wild goose chase.”

“Legend is right.” Time spoke as he turned to the others. “While his help and knowledge of this world would be a serious advantage, we can’t just run off. We have to stick together and find out why we were all summoned here.” He put a hand on his chin and glanced out over a nearby valley. “If there are Great Fairies here, they would have the wisdom we seek. They remember each and every one of us, know all the battles. Perhaps they also know why we were all summoned here.”

“But what if we were brought here because the newest hero needs us?” Hyrule mentioned, lifting a hand. “Why bring us to a world we don’t understand? There isn’t anyone here we know, and if we find someone familiar, they’re probably not the people we remember. Other than the Great Fairies, and we all know how they like to hide, there isn’t anyone here we can gain some advice from. Honestly? I think finding the new hero would be our best bet.”

Wind frowned up at the brunette, “But how are we going to do that? This place is huge!”

Twilight looked over the group, “Let’s try and find a village. There we can get some supplies and come up with a plan. We can also ask around to see if anyone has seen the hero. I imagine he’ll look similar to us, but at the very least, he should have the Master Sword on his back. It’s hard to miss.”

Time put a hand to his chin to roll the arguments around in his head for a moment, then nodded once. “You both make very good arguments. Regardless of our next few steps, a village would be a good place to settle down for a day or two to get our bearings. Let’s see if we can get to a little higher of an elevation so we can see farther. If anyone sees smoke, say it. While it could be a monster camp, it could also be a village. Stay vigilant. We don’t know what’s lurking here in this land.”

With a plan in mind, the group followed the hill up until they reached a cliff side. Looking out over the land, Twilight noticed a number of different things. In random locations, there were tall towers that glowed blue, as well as a few stone huts that were also blue. To the west was Hyrule Castle, but it was covered in a black and red mass. “Looks like this hero hasn’t completed his task yet…” Hryule murmured beside him, eyeing the castle. Twilight nodded a little, but found himself distracted. Standing at the top of mountains in two corners of the region where large stone creatures shooting red beams of light towards the castle. He wondered if they were helping to keep whatever that mass was at bay. Twilight sighed and ran a hand roughly through his hair as his brows frowned.

Coming up beside him, Time put a hand on his shoulder. “You alright?”

Twilight nodded, but made a face, “Yeah, I just… I can’t shake this feeling that I know this place. All of this seems so familiar.”

Four tossed him a smile, “Well it’s a different version of Hyrule kingdom. It should look a little familiar.”

The man shook his head, “No, not that. Like, _this_ land right here looks familiar, like I’ve been here before. The castle, those stone creatures on the mountains… they’re all familiar.” He looked at the others, “I think I’ve been here before, but I can’t say for certain. My… memories a little fuzzy from… whatever that was we went through to get here.”

Time nodded, “It’s alright. That was quite the trip. Do you remember anything concrete? Like a direction we should go?”

Twilight looked out over the landscape for a long moment, narrowing his eyes. “I think… I think we need to head east, through those mountains over there, then follow the road until we can smell the ocean.” He pointed towards the mountain range that had been split in two. “I don’t know why, but I get this feeling that in that direction is something good, something… warm.” The group shared a few skeptical glances. “Look I know it’s a long shot, but what other option do we have? We can’t see any other village nearby. Besides, there are always settlements near the coast.”

The oldest warrior among them glanced in the direction Twilight had pointed, then nodded once. “Alright, it’s something. We don’t have a lot to go on as it is, so anything is better than nothing.” He looked back at his descendent and nodded. “You take the lead.” Twilight straightened a little and nodded, feeling his chest swell from this responsibility.

The group made it through the forest and found a dirt road to follow. They used Wind’s compose to keep from straying. Along the way, they didn’t see a single soul on the road. No travelers, no caravans… However, there were plenty of ruins littering the landscape. “What happened here?” Sky wondered out loud as he eyed what looked like an old house where a lone bed sat covered in scorch marks. Four crossed his arms and gave a little shiver at the scene. Time frowned at the destruction, but turned his eye forward. It was clear whatever had happened in this time line was nothing to scoff at.

As the sun started to set the group started to feel the strain of being thrown through time and space and dropped in a world they didn’t know. Wind and Four looked the most exhausted. Time noticed the group started to drag and decided that it would probably be a good time to make camp. The group let out a collective groan of relief as they settled down just off the main road. Wind yanked off his boots to rub his sore feet while Legend sprawled out in the grass. Twilight smiled at them and crossed his arms, shaking his head. “You’re all legendary warriors and you get winded by a little walking.”

“That was a lot of walking!” Wind protested, “We walked all day! In my world, I had a boat and didn’t have to walk this much.”

Warrior smirked and propped an arm up behind him to lean against, “Well get used to it kid. I haven’t seen a lick of water yet.” The youngest hero groaned and flopped onto his back.

Time chuckled a little in his throat then put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Why don’t you see if you collect some firewood and get us a fire going. I’ll see what I can find as far as food.”

Hyrule stood and brushed his pants off, “I’ll go with you. It’s not safe to go alone.”

The older man smiled at him, “Wiser words were never spoken.” The brunette laughed.

Twilight turned to look around for stray stick and twigs they could use for a fire. Legend joined him while Four cleared the dried grass away in a large circle. A few minutes later the third eldest returned successful, with an arm full of sticks. He set them up carefully in the circle and pulled a piece of flint from his pocket. Legend rose an unimpressed eyebrow at him, “Why don’t you just touch it with a fire arrow?”

The other gave him a look, “You can’t rely solely on magic. What if you’re out of fire arrows?”

Warrior shrugged, “You could use a weapon that has a fire enchantment.”

“And what if you don’t have that?” Twilight retorted. “What if all you have is the clothes on your back? You have to learn to survive without pleasantries.” He turned his gaze back to his task. He grabbed a small handful of dried grass and tender, then struck the flint with a dagger. A spark flew from the rock and hit the bundle, causing smoke. Twilight gently picked it up and blew on it until he got a tiny flame, then placed it under the stack of wood he created. Within a few minutes, they had a roaring fire.

Four grinned, “Impressive.”

Twilight shrugged and tossed him a smile, “You pick up a few things when you live on the road for so long.”

“I hear that!”

Soon Time and Hyrule returned with a bounty of mushrooms and beets in their arms. “It’s not glamorous, but it’s dinner.” Time spoke as he wiped his brow with the cloth side of his arm bracer. “We can roast them over the fire.”

Wind sighed and poked at one of the mushrooms, “Too bad we don’t have marshmallows…”

Twilight chuckled and put a hand on the other’s head to ruffle his hair. “We’ll see what we can find when we get to a village. They’ve got to have something sweet.” Wind grinned up at him and let out a happy cheer. It warmed Twilight’s heart. He knew the boy was a warrior, just like the rest of them, but he was so young. He reminded him of the kids from his village back home. He hadn’t seen them in so long, but he was sure they were fine. They were a real tough bunch with fearless hearts. Still, he missed them. When he got back to his own time line, he would have to stop by and see them again.

Just then a sharp whistle cut through the cool night air, startling everyone. They all jumped up and drew their swords, sharp eyes turned to the darkness. “A battle call?” Four murmured as his eyes scanned the tree line in front of him.

“Not a very good signal for an enemy attack.” Warrior answered, narrowing his eyes. “They just alerted us that they’re here.”

Time frowned as he scanned the darkness for any sign of movement, until he heard the grass crunch beside him. Turning, he saw Twilight had taken a few steps forward, staring into the distance with large eyes, his body tense, ready to bolt at any second. He didn’t look scared, but very on edge. When the whistle came again, Twilight let out a quiet, panicked sound. “He needs me…” He whispered.

“What?” Hyrule looked up at him.

Twilight’s back straightened, “He needs me! He’s in trouble, he needs me!” He shouted then took off into the darkness.

“Twilight!” The group cried in alert. They glanced around at each other uncertainly, then took off after him. The group followed Twilight through the field and towards the tree line, though they stumbled on debris that the other easily jumped over.

“Twilight, wait!” Legend shouted, a little winded, “Who’s in trouble?!”

The hero didn’t listen, or couldn’t hear him. When he hit the tree line, he grabbed the shard of darkness around his neck, causing his body to morph into a wolf. Once on all fours he dashed into the forest, easily dodging trees and branches. A few heroes stopped at the tree line, but Hyrule and Time didn’t hesitate to follow, comfortable in the woodland setting. However, just as they were getting close, Twilight disappeared in a flash of blue light. The two stumbled to a stop then took a few steps back in shock. They looked around for any sign of the other hero, but found nothing. “What in Hylia was that?” The brunette asked, looking up at the oldest.

Time frowned and stared deep into the forest, “I don’t know.”

Slowly they made it back to the others, who were waiting for them at the tree line. “Where is he?” Four asked with wide eyes, “Did you find him?”

Hyrule shook his head, “It was the strangest thing. One second he was just in front of us, almost close enough to touch, then there was this flash of blue light and he was gone! Just completely disappeared! There was no trace of him at all.”

“What?” Warrior narrowed his eyes at them, “Like he teleported or something?”

“Wait!” Wind held up his hand to get their attention, “Didn’t Twilight say something about being able to teleport?”

Time shook his had as he looked at the group, “Not anymore. Besides, that was nothing like the magic from his world.This was completely different.” He held them down with a serious look, causing a few to straighten. “We need to be careful. Whatever that sound was took a hold of him and caused him to completely forget about everything else. No one else was affected, right?” The group glanced around and shook their heads. “Good. Until we figure out what that was, we’ll take two people watches in rotation. No one is to be alone.”

Legend frowned and crossed his arms. “Did you guys catch what he said before he took off? He said _He needs me. He’s in trouble._ What do you think that means? Do you think there’s someone from his time line here too?”

Sky frowned, “I wouldn’t think so… We’re all legendary heroes, brought together for some divine purpose. Why would the Goddess bring a random civilian through?”

“Mm, you make a good point, but it still stands that Twilight was freaking out about someone. If we can find out who, then maybe we can find out what the whistle means and what sort of power it has over him.”

Warrior sighed and put his sword away, then placed his hands on his hips. “Well standing here talking about it isn’t going to do anything. We can’t look for Twilight now, not when it’s dark. We should wait until morning to go looking for him.”

Time nodded once, “I agree. Let’s get back to camp. We’re going to need our rest for tomorrow.”

The party trudged back across the field to their makeshift camp, which thankfully no one had pledged through while they were gone. They cooked up a quick meal and set up the watch rotations for the evening. Time and Hyrule would take the first shift, followed by Legend and Warrior, then Four, Wind, and Sky would take the early morning shift. Time grabbed his sword to slip under his belt then moved to stand facing the forest Twilight had disappeared into, frowning. The first hero came up beside him and smiled, holding his hands behind his back. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him. Besides, Twilight is strong. He’ll be able to take care of himself until then.” Time glanced down at him, then back to the tree line, nodding once. He knew he could handle himself, he trained him personally, but in a foreign land they didn’t understand, who knows what could happen.


	2. Chapter 2

“So you used to live in the clouds?” Wind asked Sky as they sat and watched the sun start to peek over the horizon ever so slightly.

Sky smiled at him and nodded, “Yes. The Goddess sent our kingdom high into the air, where we would be safe from the darkness and evil that was massing on the world bellow.”

Wind smiled back, “That’s pretty cool. I can’t imagine being so high that when you look down, all you see are clouds. Does it get cold up there?”

The other made a face, “I couldn’t say, probably because I was so used to it. I do think it’s kind of warm down here. I like the snowier regions more, so I guess I have thick blood.” He smiled at the younger hero, “What about you? You said you used to live by the ocean? That must have been so nice, to wake up every morning to look across so much water.”

The youngest smiled wider and nodded, “It was amazing! I walk out my front door and there’s nothing but sand, palm trees, and ocean as far as the eye could see. I liked to chase the seagulls down the beach, then I’d go out on my boat and go fishing. It was really relaxing. Oh! And we had to cutest piggies!” He squished his hands to his cheeks and shook his head. “The cutest piggies ever! Aww now I miss them!”

Sky laughed, “They sound super cute. I hope we get to go to the coast at some point. I would love to see more of it.”

“Yeah!”

“You two are going to wake up the whole camp, you keep talking that loud.” The pair looked up as Four walked over to them with a smirk. He paused in front of them and put his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow.

“Aww come on! We were just talking about where we came from.” Wind pouted.

Sky chuckled and looked off into the distance, “It’s almost dawn. We should probably go ahead and start waking them so we can fix something for breakfast before heading out.” He looked up at Four. “Everything quiet on your end?”

The boy nodded and glanced around. “It was a fairly quite night. The only thing I saw were a few deer in the distance. We should count ourselves lucky.”

The youngest pushed up to his feet and put his hands on his hips, grinning at the two. “Well I don’t know about you two, but I’m excited to explore this new world! I’m also excited to meet the new hero! I wonder what he’s going to be like. Maybe we’re here to help him with his quest! It’s gonna be so epic if every hero from every time line banded together to kick some major butt!” He punched the air a few times then did a dramatic kick that had him stumbling back to catch his balance. The other two laughed at his silly ways. Wind then turned to the camp, taking a deep breath as he cupped his hands around his mouth, ready to shout a hearty good morning to wake them up, but instead he let out a cry of alarm and flailed back.

Instantly the camp was awake. Time was the most alert, dagger in hand, ready to take down a foe in seconds. “What? What’s wrong?” He demanded, looking around, then up at Wind, Sky, and Four. All three were staring at the ground with large, shocked eyes.

Wind pointed to a mass huddled down in black fur. “I-It’s Twilight!”

At the mention of his name, the boy made a little face then blinked his eyes open. He rubbed his face as he sat up, then looked around, but his eyes widening when he noticed everyone was staring at him. “Uh… hi.” He glanced around, a little tense. “Why are you all staring at me like that?

Wind came out of nowhere and tackled him onto his back, pinning his shoulders to the ground. “Who are you?! What have you done with Twilight?! Talk, or I’ll feed you to the fishes!” He paused and glanced around the grassy field they had camped in, then glared down at him again. “As soon as I find some!”

Warrior sighed and walked over to the boy, grabbing him by the back of his shirt to lift him off the other man, setting him down on his feet. “Easy there, captain.”

Twilight sat up and glared at them, “What’s your problem?”

Sky knelt in front of him, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Twilight, are you alright? You gave us all quite the scare last night.”

The other made a face at him, “Uh… yes? I don’t know what you’re talking.”

“Wait,” Four held up a hand and narrowed his eyes at the farm boy. “How can we be sure it’s him? Whatever took him last night could have replaced him with a fraud.”

Twilight turned his glare to him, “What are you talking about?! I’m not a fraud!”

“Then prove it! Do something only the real Twilight could.”

Without a thought, the boy in fur grabbed the shard around his neck and transformed into a wolf in a shadowy mist. He then let out a snarl and arched his back at Four, fur standing on his back. Startled, the smith stumbled back with a gasp. “Easy now,” Time spoke, stepping in front of Four as he held up a hand, frowning at his descendent, “we’re just being cautious. If you had seen what we had, you would be too.” Twilight eyed him for a long moment, then sat back and reverted back to a Hylian.

“Dude, you took off in a blind fiery last night,” Legend told him, crossing his arms, “shouting about someone needing you and shit.” He waved towards the tree line in the distance, “As soon as you hit the forest, you changed into a wolf, then Time and Hyrule said you teleported.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as a cold chill ran down his spine at the word “teleported.” Helooked up at Time in question, but the other shook his head slowly, watching him carefully. The younger hero let out a breath he hadn’t realized he held, not sure if he was relieved or disappointed, but then made a face. He looked back to the others, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We set up camp, I started a fire, Time and Hyrule came back with some food…” he paused in thought, narrowing his eyes a little, “we ate then settled down for bed. Time played some song on his ocarina, said some traveling friend of his taught him.”

The group stared at him with a mixture of suspicious and worry. “That definitely did not happen.” Warrior told him, crossing his arms.

Twilight frowned, “Yes it did! I was sitting right next to him! How can you not remember any of that?”

Time knelt in front of his descendent, folding one arm over the top of his knee. “Twilight, none of that happened. They’re telling the truth. We were sitting around the fire when a whistle pierced through the air. You went ridge and took off in a near panic. You were shouting that someone needed you. When you hit the tree lane, you changed and disappeared in a blue light.” The boy’s eyes widened a little as he glanced away in confusion.

“I… I don’t remember any of that.” He said quietly after a moment.

Sky crossed his arms, “Strange… it’s like you were under some sort of spell, but it didn’t affect the rest of us, just you.”

Warrior frowned and glanced around at the group, “I have encountered wizards and enchantresses before, but in order to affect you, they have to be within sight and within casting distance. Never have I heard of someone controlling someone from so far away, and with just a sound.”

Hyrule put one hand on his hip and gestured at Twilight, “Perhaps you knew what the sound meant. Maybe not on the surface, but deep down. I think we can all agree that many times in our journeys, we have come across something that deep down in our gut, we knew and understood. This could be one of those things. Perhaps this wasn’t a spell at all, but a signal of some sort. Do you remember the sound of the whistle at all? Does it stir something in you?”

Twilight frowned and glanced down at the grass, rolling through his memories, “No, I don’t remember anything like that from last night. I mean, back on the farm we used to whistle as signals to each other, high pitches that carried across the fields when voices couldn’t, but we’re not in my world. There’s no way someone could know something so small here.”

Time hummed a little, brows frowning, “Regardless of what it is, it caused you to rush off in a blind fiery to Hylia knows where, and we can’t have that. We’ll need to stay vigilant. If it happens again, we’ll be better prepared to stop you.” He stood and looked around at the others. “Let’s get ready to move. The sun is coming up and we’ll need all the day light we can get.” The group moved into action, tossing something together for breakfast and packing up the rest. Time looked back to Twilight, who seemed lost in his thoughts, brow tight. “Easy pup,” he spoke in a quiet tone, causing the other to look up at him, “no sense in stressing about it now, but if it happens again, just know you have a team that will stop at nothing to keep you from disappearing again.”

This caused his descent to smile a little. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it was something. “Thanks.”

**

Soon after breakfast, the group was off once more with Twilight at the lead and Time close behind. It didn’t take them long to reach the large mountain that seemed to be split in half. Along the way they encountered a small stable with horses and goats lazing about. Some of the others took the opportunity to stock up on supplies and get directions from the locals. Twilight stood beside the eldest hero while he spoke to the stable owner about what was east of their location, in the direction they were heading, but found himself distracted by the animals nearby. One goat peered over the fence at him for a long moment, then let out a sound that had his farm boy heart melting. Glancing back at Time, he slowly inched his away to the side, then disappeared around the tent to the pen where all the goats were eagerly waiting to be petted and fed.

“You guys are so small.” He said with a smile, “I could carry two of you on my shoulders. The goats where I come from are three times your size. You’re like mini goats.” One of them made an eager sound and head butted the goat he was petting out of the way so it could nose at his hand in stead. It made Twilight chuckle, “Hey now, that wasn’t very nice. Silly things.” After he spent a few minutes with the goats, he went over to the horse pasture, where he found Time leaning against the tall fence with his forearms resting on the top.

“These horses are treated well here.” He spoke with an approving nod.

Twilight smiled and folded his arms on the top of the fence too. “Feeling a little homesick, old man?”

Time huffed a laugh and tossed him an easy smile, “Maybe.” He nodded towards him, “I could say the same about you. I thought you were going to steal those goats.”

The farm boy laughed and ducked his head a little, feeling a little warmth come to his face at being caught. “They’re so small compared to the goats back on the farm. I could probably stick a few in my pocket and they’d be fine.” He glanced over the ground then knelt to pick up a tall weed. He studied it for a moment then brought it to his lips and closed his eyes. Out came a whistle that carried across the field, causing all the horses’ heads to lift from where they were grazing. Twilight let the tune and fond memories wash over take him for a moment, practically feeling the warm present of a very special horse against his back as they lingered in a cool, grassy field.

“Well now,” The boy opened his eyes and was startled to see the horses had gathered by the fence to investigate them. Time chuckled and lifted his hands to caress the nose of a spotted mare, “Seems the song isn’t just for her anymore.”

A mare with a dark brown coat leaned over to fence to shove her nose into Twilight’s face and snuffle him, causing the boy to laugh. He turned his head away and closed his eyes, but she moved to his ear instead, causing his shoulder to raise to protect it. “Silly girl.” He turned back to her and put his hands on either side of her face. He ran his fingers over her cheeks then under her jaw, earning a content huff.

“Yo Twilight!” The boy turned to see his fellow heroes where sitting around a fire, grinning and snickering at him. Warrior looked the most smug, “You’re farm boy’s showing!” Twilight felt his face warm, but shrugged in response. It was fine, let them watch. He missed this way of life so much, that he didn’t care how much he got teased. He was going to pet every single animal here before they left, and no one was going to stop him.

They did eventually move on, much to everyone’s dismay. “Too bad we can’t borrow some horses for the rest of the way.” Hyrule said with a smile, “Would have made the trip faster and easier.”

“I’ve never ridden a horse before.” Sky spoke, putting his hands behind his back, “But I did have a bird back home.”

Wind looked up at him with big eyes, “You used to ride a _bird?”_

Sky nodded and smiled, “We lived in a kingdom in the sky. The quickest way to get around was by bird. Plus it was a bit of a security net, should you fall off the side.”

Four tossed him a look, “That just sounds terrifying. I think I’ll pass.”

Time glanced back at them then to Twilight beside him, “How much farther do you think this is?”

The hero frowned, staring down the path for a long moment as he rolled his thoughts around. “A day.” He finally said, then looked up at him. “If we travel for a day’s time, we’ll get there. We might need to travel a little once it gets dark, but not for long.”

Time nodded and looked forward, “I spoke to the stable owner and he said that there are two villages in this direction.” He point his hand forward, lined up with the road. “If we follow this road over the bridge and through the mountains, it will take us to this world’s version of Kakariko Village, which is closer. If we take a right just before the bridge and follow the river to the coast, we’ll hit Han-“

A piercing whistle suddenly cut through the air, causing every hero to stop and tense. All eyes went immediately to Twilight, who’s back had straightened as his head whipped around towards a large open field to their right. There was a moment where no one moved, no one breathed, then Twilight whispered, “He’s in trouble…”

Time quickly grabbed the other’s arm with both hands while Sky grabbed the other. Twilight gasped, shoulders ridged as he felt a fight rise in his chest. He jerked against the hold, leaning forward, “He needs me! He’s in trouble!”

“Hold him firm!” Time barked. A few others came to wrap their hands and arms around Twilight. Warrior moved to plant himself in front of him to put both hands on his shoulders, locking his own in place. The dirty blonde started to put up quite the fight when he met such resistance, even taking a few steps forward, regardless of the extra weight.

“Hylia’s sakes!” Legend swore as he dug his heels into the ground and still slid slowly forward. “He’s so strong!”

Twilight’s breathing started to pick up as his eyes dilated with fear. The whistle came again, a little shakier, causing him to let out a cry, jerking his shoulders with enough force to break free from a few of his counterparts. “He’s hurt!” He reached forward with his free arm, but Time grabbed it again. “I have to protect him!” He let out a panicked sound then clenched his eyes shut, putting everything he had into yanking free. He yanked his arm free again and reached into his pouch to pull out a boomerang, gripping it tightly to summon a powerful gust of window. In their shock, the others let go to shield their eyes. Twilight took off as soon as they did, shoving Warrior out of the way and to the ground, causing the knight to let out a squawk. Time recovered the quickest and whipped out his Hookshot, putting his hand on his arm for better accuracy. He let the sharp end fly, aiming just past Twilight’s waist. When it reached him, Time yanked the chain to the side with one hand, causing the weighted end to swing and wrap around the boy’s waist a few times, then yanked it back with a sharp hum. Twilight jerked against the chain as he came to an abrupt stop, taking in a surprised gasp. He put his hands on the chain as he stared down at it, then whipped around to glare at them, letting out a very animalistic snarl.

Wind’s eyes widened, putting his hands near his mouth, “I don’t think he liked that…”

“He’ll thank us later.” Time argued as he started to retract the chain. Twilight stumbled back a few steps, then shook his head and planted his feet wide for an even stance, leaning forward heavily. Time narrowed his eye and leaned back, “Grab the chain and pull!” He barked, spurring the others into action. The larger heroes lined up and took the chain with both hands, then let out a grunt as they pulled. Twilight snarled and leaned forward even more, but slipped and fell to his hands and knees. He dug his fingers into the ground as he was dragged backwards, then gripped at the dirt and grass as he rounded his back. Slowly, he crawled his way forward, causing the boys holding the chain to slide forward and groan.

“What the fuck do they feed the kids in Ordon Village?!” Warrior bit out as he leaned back, digging his heels into the dirt. “He’s not even wearing his Iron Boots!”

Four darted past then and raised a bow with an ice arrow docked. He closed one eye as he lined up the shot, then let it sore, “Ha!” The arrow struck the ground right by Twilight’s hand, exploding into a block of ice, freezing him to the spot.

“Keep hold of the chain and move forward!” Time told the others, “Pull it in!” Slowly, the group of heroes advanced, retracting the chain inch by inch. Twilight glared down at the ice around his hand and then up to the horizon. Without a thought, he grabbed the crystal around his neck. “Shit!” Time cursed, “Grab him before he escapes!” Wind and Hyrule rushed forward, but weren’t quick enough. With his smaller waist and paws, Twilight easily slipped from his confines and dashed forward at top speed. Four raised his bow again and fired off a few more ice arrows, but Twilight was ready this time and zig-zagged through the grass to avoid them. Soon he came to a larger river where the two chasing him were sure they would be able to catch up, but Twilight didn’t stop. He jumped, legs extended, then vanished in the same blue flash of light as before.

Wind and Hyrule slid to a stop, staring at the spot with wide eyes as they tried to catch their breath. They looked to each other, then back at the group. Time glared at the spot with enough heat to rival Din’s Fire. He stood up straight and with a press of a button, the chain of his Hookshot snapped back into the holder. He tucked this away again and said nothing for a long moment. The other glanced between each other, looking a mixture of frustrated and concerned. “Maybe he’ll come back,” Sky eventually piped up quietly, glancing up at Time, “like he did this morning.”

“And maybe he won’t.” The eldest replied sharply, causing Sky to quickly lower his gaze. Time frowned and took a deep breath through his nose, lifting a hand to rub his brow for a moment, then sighed, “No, I apologize. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” He looked back to Sky, then the rest of the group as Wind and Hyrule returned. “You all fought and worked together well. Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do to immobilize Twilight without harming him. All we can do now,” he put a hand on Sky’s shoulder and gripped it tight, “is hope he comes back like he did this morning.”

“What should we do in the mean time?” Warrior asked, crossing his arms. “Twilight was the only one who knew where we were going.”

Time looked to him, “He mentioned that from our starting point, we had to head east, past the mountain that was split in two, then head for the coast. I spoke with the stable owner when we stopped to resupply and he said the only village that fits that description is Haneto. It’s about a day’s trip.” He motioned to the path running along the nearby river. “If we follow this road, we should be fine.”

“But what if Twilight can’t find us?” Wind asked with big eyes, “Maybe he came back this morning because he knew where we were camped.”

Hyrule shook his head, “No, he couldn’t have just walked back in. We had a two person guard the entire night. They would have seen or heard him return. I think he teleported back in, just as he left.”

“If that’s the case,” Four started, “then would he teleport back here, to this exact spot, or back to us?”

The brunette looked to him, “I’m thinking us, because when he disappeared the first time, he was deep in the woods. When he returned, he was in camp. Perhaps whatever is calling him away returns him when its done with him or when he’s completed whatever task he was summoned to do. Personally? I think we should continue on. Even if Twilight does indeed return here, he knows where we were heading. He doesn’t know the village’s name, but he knows what direction it’s in. We have nowhere else to go but there, so he would most likely there first.”

“Pretty sound logic, there.” Legend agreed as he crossed his arms.

Time nodded once, “I agree. We should keep going, but we can leave some sort of clue behind for him, should he return here.”

Wind grinned, “I’ve got it!” He pulled out a dagger and hurried over to a small rock nearby. He squatted down and dug the tip of the blade into the stone, ignoring Four’s squawking protests about weapon treatment. The boy stuck his tongue out as he worked, looking very focused, then grinned when he was done. “There!” He hopped up and motioned to the rock proudly. The group peered down at the symbols etched into the stone curiously.

Warrior made a face, “Is that… what is that?”

Wind stomped his foot at him and huffed, “It’s a Korok holding an arrow sign pointing in the direction we’re going!”

Hyrule gave him a half smile and rose a brow at him, “Why didn’t you just put an arrow?”

“Because it might blend in! It might look like just some random scratch! This stands out.”

“I’ll say…” Warrior mumbled.

“Shut up!”

Time sighed, but a small, amused smile hinted across his lips. “Alright, let’s get moving. We’ve burned enough day light as it is.”

The group started down the path that ran along side the river, towards what they hoped was the coast. Everyone was quiet for a moment, before Wind murmured, “I hope Twilight’s going to be ok…”

Time glanced down at him, then forward again, “Me too.”


	3. Chapter 3

_“Here, I got these for you.” Twilight lifted his head from his paws and looked up, feeling fondness rush through him from the smile he saw. “Since we can’t seem to get that metal cuff off your leg, I figured we could enchant it so it’s less lightly to catch electricity.” Twilight watched as a gentle hand lifted his paw to hold as the other placed a yellow gem near the metal. It quickly snapped to the cuff, causing his ears to perk up in surprise. There was a soft chuckle, “There is a woman in Gerudo Town that makes jewelry with the gemstones I find. These are topaz, used to increase electrical resistance. She enchanted them special so they could fuse to the first metal it came in contact with.” The hand continued to place little stones all the way around the cuff. When the circle was completed, they all light up and flashed, before settling down again._

_Twilight leaned his head forward to sniff at the stones for a moment, then looked up when he heard movement. “I got you these too.” The gentle hands unfolded to show two yellow ear cuffs. “They just slip on, no piercing required.” One hand folded to hold the cuffs against its palm as they moved to take hold of one of his ears. Twilight turned his head away then ducked it and rolled it against the ground to hide his ear. When the hands went for the other, he rolled to the other side and lifted a paw to bat it away. A soft laugh echoed around him and filled his heart with warmth. “Stop it! These are for your protection!” Twilight rolled onto his back then tilted his head back to hide both his ears. The hands pulled back to rest against hips, “Now you’re just being silly.” The wolf blinked up at him with big, blue eyes, then opened his mouth so his tongue could lull to one side. That beautiful laugh rang out again, making the act worth it. “Look at you. You’re so silly, Twilight.” The gentle hands were back again with talented fingers that curled into his chest to scratch. They traveled up his neck and to his jaw as their owner hummed. Twilight closed his eyes as he felt his body melt into the grass as the voice wash over his ears like bird song, sweet and light, a sound so precious, he would do anything to protect it. “Twilight… Twilight…”_

_**_

“Twilight!”

The boy’s eyes shot open in alarm, jerking to sit up straight with a gasp. Instinctively, he grabbed the hilt of dagger he always had on his belt, ready for a fight, but as his brain caught up to his body, he saw his counterparts looking down at him with a mixture of relief and curiosity. Twilight blinked up at them in confusion then looked around. He was sitting in a bed in what appeared to be an inn. There were a couple of others in the room then a futon rolled out in the middle with blankets tossed all over it. His brows frowned in confusion as he looked up at the others, “Where am I?”

“Twilight!!” Wind came out of nowhere and tackled the farm boy back, earning a squawk. He wrapped his arms tightly around his neck as cometic tears ran down his face, “You’re back! We were so worried about you!”

The older warrior stared at him with wide eyes then slowly lifted a hand to pat his back. “Uh… I’m sorry?” He apologized, though he wasn’t sure what he did to cause such a reaction.

“You ran off again yesterday.” Warrior explained from where he stood with is arms crossed, as though he could hear the other’s thoughts.

Twilight head jerked up, “What?”

“We tried to stop you,” Wind sat back and put his hands on the other’s shoulders, “really! We had a chain around your waist and Four froze your hands to the ground, but you were so crazy strong and so determined to leave! I don’t think Ganon himself could have kept you from answering that whistle!”

The dirty blonde sat up and stared at them, shocked into silence. Time narrowed his eye at him a little, “What do you remember from yesterday?”

“I…” Twilight turned his head away as his eyes blindly glanced over the floor, burying his hand into his hair. “I remember the stable… and the animals. I remember leaving and heading east. You asked me how long we had left and I said about a day, then…”

_“You’re so silly, Twilight.”_

The boy’s eyes widened a little as he felt a strange emotion rush through him from head to toe, causing his shoulders to rise towards his ears. He opened his mouth, but found himself hesitating. That voice… was this a memory? Was it a dream? He felt such a strong emotional reaction to something so simple that it made him wonder. “Uh… nothing else.” He decided to answer, glancing up at Time, then away again. He bit his lip, able to feel the older man’s eye press into the side of his face, like he was trying to burrow into his head and find out what he wasn’t telling them. _Hylia_ , he didn’t even need to see him to know what that face looked like.

Sky sighed, “So just like before… You disappeared in that blue light then reappeared at some point during the night. We don’t have much to go on in figuring out what that sound is, where it’s coming from, and what it means.”

“Well it’s obvious a signal of some sort.” Legend spoke from where he sat on the edge of one of the other beds in the room, elbows on his knees. “When he hears it, he reacts without hesitation, and nothing can keep him from the person making it.”

Sky looked at him, putting a hand near his mouth, “But every time he says that person needs him, that their in trouble. Yesterday the whistle faltered and Twilight freaked because he thought the maker was hurt.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as he stared at the ground, balling his hands into the sheets as his whole body tensed. The thought of this person getting hurt shot an icy cold feeling through his heart. _“I won’t let anything hurt him.”_ He thought instantly, then blinked and frowned, confused as to where that came from.

“Hey! What are those?” The farm boy looked to Wind, who was kneeling on the bed beside him and pointing at his ears. “Those earrings… you didn’t have those before, did you? The yellow ones?”

Twilight lifted a hand to his ear, feeling along its length until he felt a cuff he didn’t recognize. He pulled it off and held out his palm to study it, finding they were gold with yellow gemstones inlaid in the middle. _“These are topaz, used to increase electrical resistance.”_ That voice echoed faintly in his head.

Four put a hand to his chin and leaned closer to inspect the jewelry in his hand, “Those look different. I think we would have noticed yellow earrings. Those are topaz gemstones, very rare. Just from what I can see with the naked eye, the piece looks of very high quality. An expert jewelry maker would’ve made that.”

Wind hummed then looked up at Twilight, “Where’d chya get ‘em? Did you find them wherever you went last night? Are they magical or something?”

Time stepped forward, “You weren’t wearing them yesterday when you left, so you must have gotten them afterwards. Whoever keeps taking control of you might have given them to you and if that’s the case, they need to be destroyed.”

Twilight’s eyed widened as he closed his hand around the cuff and brought it to his chest, staring up at him. “What?”

Warrior frowned, “He’s right. We can’t take that chance. You already act like a madman when that sound comes around. The last thing we need is some kind of jewelry messing with your head when you’re not even away.”

“But he had them made special to protect me from lightning!” Twilight spat out quickly without much thought, but then tensed, quickly realizing his mistake. Time narrowed his eye at him, causing him to shrink back a little. Shit.

“Who is he?” Time asked as he leaned over to put his hands on the footboard of the bed. His voice was low, quiet, but had every person in the room on edge like he had shouted. Wind glanced between the two and slowly started to scoot backwards and off the bed to be out of the line of fire. Twilight’s mouth moved, but no sound came out. Time slammed his hands against the wood with a loud thunk, “Who is he?!” He demanded louder.

“I don’t know!” Twilight shouted back as he met his glare with one of this own. His mentor could be scary sometimes, like really scary, especially when he was angry, but he wasn’t a child. He had been on his own adventure, fought his own battles, and took down not one but _two_ evil overlords. He was a hero chosen by the Goddess too, and wasn’t going to let Time talk to him like that. “Back off! If I knew who ‘he’ was, I would have told you!”

“Bullshit! You remembered something from last night, but you didn’t want to tell us. You’re putting the whole team at risk by withholding information. We need to find this sorcerer who’s controlling you and put an end to it!”

Twilight jerked forward as his eyes flashed gold and looking very fierce. “You touch a single hair on his head and I’ll rip your throat out with my teeth!” He roared, startling the other warriors in the room into taking a few steps back. The dirty blonde locked eyes with his mentor’s fearlessly, letting out a low growl that sounded more on the wolf side than Hylian.

“Stop it!” Warrior stepped forward when it looked like the two were going to jump each other, holding out his hands. He glared at them, “What is wrong with you?!”

Time straightened, “He must still be under whatever spell the sorcerer cast. The jewels have to be amplifying it so it affects him, even without the sound of the whistle.”

“I’m not under a spell!” Twilight fired back.

“You’re protecting a madman who’s messing with your head!”

“He’s not a madman! He’s kind and selfless!”

“That’s just what he wants you to think so you’ll stay loyal to him like a good pup.”

Twilight snarled at the jab and lunged forward, but Warrior and Hyrule jumped to grab him, holding him back with much effort. “I’m not a mindless animal!” He shouted, jerking against his captors. “I’m a hero chosen by the Goddess Hylia, just like you! I may not know what the man’s name is or why I keep rushing to his side, but I do know he has a pure heart and a good soul, and I swear to the very entity that granted me my strength, if you or anyone ever tries to harm him, I will fight to the death to stop you! Nothing will keep me from this task!” He dipped his head a little, looking deadly serious, “And as the Hero of Twilight, Spirt of Courage, you bet your ass my determination to keep this promise will never weaken.”

Time glared down at his descendent for a long, hard minute. Everyone in the room was still and silent, unable to believe the conversation (if it could be categorized as such) that just passed between the two that had been the closest to each other since they started out on this crazy mission. Plus, Twilight had just talked back and threatened Time, which a few were certain would lead to a death sentence. They held their breath as they waited for one to make a move against the other.

However, the Goddess had other plans. Suddenly the Master Sword strapped to Sky’s back started to glow and pulse, startling everyone from their tension. The hero’s eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder, then pulled the blade from its sheath, allowing its full glow to bath the room. Time was knocked from his anger and instead turned a slightly wide eye to the blade. Sky turned the blade to rest the flat side against his palm and gazed down at it, then closed his eyes to listen to what she had to say. “He’s here.” He looked up at them with wide eyes, “The hero of this world - he’s here! Close by! The sword is reacting to the version in this realm!” The Master Sword’s light slowly started to fade, pulling a gasp from Sky. “He’s moving! If he gets too far away, she won’t be able to sense him!”

Time nodded once, “Go. Take the blade and find the hero. Try to talk to him and explain everything, but don’t overwhelm him.” He looked back to Warrior and Hyrule, who were still clinging to Twilight like he would go off the rails again. “You two stay here and make sure Twilight doesn’t leave.” He turned his hard gaze to his descendent, “We’ll handle this when we get back.” The farm boy glared back at him fearlessly. Time held his gaze for a long moment, then turned and left the room. The other heroes hesitated, glancing between him and Twilight, then hurried after the eldest.

Warrior let out an aggravated sigh, “Great. We finally find the hero and I don’t even get to go with. Instead I’m stuck here watching a lunatic.”

Twilight turned his glare up to him, “I’m not crazy! You guys at the madmen! We’re supposed to be heroes but as soon as something you don’t understand pops up, you’re ready to cut it down! To me, it sounds like _you_ guys are the monsters!”

Warrior glared back, “Shut up! We’ve all gone through different shit! We have a reason for acting this way!”

“I went through shit too, but you don’t see me blindly demanding a person’s death!”

“He’s twisted your mind!”

“He would never hurt me!”

“That’s enough!” Hyrule snapped with his own glare, causing the other two to glance away from each other. The brunette sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, then looked back to the knight, “Warrior, why don’t you watch the door. There’s only one way in and out of this room and the windows don’t open.” The knight stared at him for a moment, then huffed and let go of Twilight to walk across the room towards the door. Hyrule watched him go, then turned to sit on the edge of the bed beside the other hero. “Twilight…”

The farm boy pulled his knees to his chest to wrap his arms around, resting his chin on top. “Are you going to call me crazy and insane too?”

Hyrule shook his head, “No, I can see there’s more here I don’t understand, therefore I can’t form an opinion.” He held his hands in his lap, “If you’re willing to explain it to me, I’m willing to listen. I won’t even say anything until you’re all done.”

Twilight eyed him wearily for a long moment, trying to find any sort of alternative motive in his eyes and body language, but couldn’t. He looked open and genuine, even gave him a little smile. The older boy sighed as his body sagged, glancing away as he said nothing for a very long time. “It’s just…” He started quietly, “I don’t even understand it myself.”

“That’s ok.” Hyrule touched his arm lightly, “You don’t have to. Just tell me what you do understand and we can go from there.”

Twilight eyed him for a moment then glanced away, “I really don’t know who he is, or at least… I don’t think I do? It’s weird. The first time I disappeared, I didn’t remember anything from the whole thing when I came back, but this time… I just have these gut feelings, like I know who he is and why he’s important to me but I can’t remember? Like when Time said they’d have to kill him, I was terrified.” He looked at the other with big eyes as an inkling of the same feeling cooled his heart. “An intense feeling of _no_ rushed through me and I knew in an instant I would lay down my life for him.” He shook his head, “And I’m not crazy. I know what that feels like, I’ve felt it before, but if he is important to me, then why don’t I remember him? And then I wonder… what if they’re right? What if I am under some sort of spell that’s making me feel this way and it’s all just a lie?” He sighed and carded a set of fingers through his hair.

Hyrule nodded a little, waiting patiently for the other to sort his thoughts out. “You did react very passionately. Now let’s say it isn’t a spell, because we really don’t know one way or another… what do you feel when you think about this person? You say it’s a guy, right?”

Twilight looked up at him and nodded, “Yes. I don’t know what he looks like, but… he has a very quite voice, like he doesn’t speak a lot.” He couldn’t help a little chuckle when a bubble of something giddy popped in his chest, “It sounds weird, but there’s a part of me that insists his voice is only for me, like when he talks to me, it’s special. And when he smiles at me, it makes me happy. Like…” He hesitated and glanced over at Warrior, who was leaning beside the door with his arms crossed, staring away blindly. Twilight lowered his voice and looked back to Hyrule, “You’re not going to tell the others about any of this, are you?” The brunette leaned forward a little and shook his head. “Good. I mean, I never want to put the others in danger, but I just know they aren’t. I know whoever this person is would never hurt them, so I don’t feel like it’s something I need to tell them. Plus I know how they would react now and I don’t want to give them more fuel to use when they burn this man at the stake.”

Twilight made a face as he glanced down, trying to sort through the fuzzy memory from the night before. “I was laying by a camp fire in my other form and he came over to me, saying he had something for me.” He lifted his left wrist to study, “He said he had a way to keep lightning from zapping the cuff around my ankle and started putting these gemstones on it. He said they were topaz and that they would increase my resistance to electricity.” Twilight opened the hand he still had clenched shut to look at the gold cuff nestled against his palm. “He was practically proud of the cuffs. ‘They just slip on!’ He said.” He smiled a little, “He tried to put them on but I made it difficult for him and he started to laugh, and it wasn’t very loud, but I could tell it was special and because I was the one that caused it, it made _me_ feel special.”

 _“You’re so silly, Twilight._ ”

Hyrule smiled up at him, “Well you know what all this sounds like to me?” Twilight blinked out of his memories and looked up at him. “It sounds like whoever this person is truly cares about you. I doubt you would have memories that would make you feel happy if he was evil and malicious.”

“But what if the others are right? What if I’m actually under a spell and all of this is fake?”

Hyrule shook his head, “You’re not under a spell. I see it in your face and in your eyes, all these emotions are genuine. Besides, if there’s anyone here who understands magic pretty well, I think it’d be me.” He put a hand on his shoulder, “If he truly is good and you care enough about him to put your life down for him, then he’s ok in my book.” Twilight smiled at him as a small feeling of relief passed through him.

Just then the whistle from the day before cut through the air, causing the pair to look up. Warrior tensed by the door and stood up straight, then looked to Twilight. However, the farm boy just blinked and looked confused. Hyrule studied him closely, “What is it, Twilight? Is it the man you spoke of?”

“Yes,” He answered, “but… he’s not in trouble. He’s happy. He just wants me there.” He looked back to him.

The brunette grinned, “Then go! What are you waiting for?”

“Excuse me?!” Warrior stormed over with a look of outrage on his face. “Did I hear that right? Twilight says it’s the guy that keeps summoning him and you’re just telling him to go? Did you forget that Time assigned us to keep him from leaving?”

Hyrule stood from the bed to face him and put his hands on his hips, “That’s right. I don’t think he’s dangerous at all. In fact,” he grinned and looked down at Twilight, “I think he’s the hero we’re looking for!” The two stared up at him with big eyes, like he grew a second head. “The way you described him, the way you talk of him, I can see the qualities of a hero! I think you’re his mentor, assigned to watch over him and help him through his journey.”

Twilight blinked, “What part of my story told you all that?”

“You can’t be serious.” Warrior put his hands on his hips.

Hyrule met the knight’s eyes fearlessly, “I am!”

Warrior sighed and rubbed his face, “So what, you just expect me to let him leave?”

“Yes.”

“Well that ain’t happening. Time would rip me a new one.”

“Not if we let him go to find the hero before they do.”

“I’m so not taking that chance.”

“Well, then I have no choice.” Hyrule stood up a little straighter, “I’m calling rank.”

Warrior gave him a look, “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Out of everyone here, I was the very first hero. Your spirits came about after I died, therefore, I am the highest ranking hero and as the highest ranking hero, I demand that you let Twilight leave to find this mystery man. Of course I intend to go with, because I’m very eager to meet him.” Hyrule held up his fists, eyes bright, “Come on! It’s an adventure! We love adventure!”

Warrior stared at him wearily, making a little face, then sighed and pinched his nose. “Fine!” He threw his hands up in the air, “Fine, but I’m coming too. If this turns out to be a trick and we’re walking right into the den of a mad sorcerer, I’m blaming you.”

“Yes!” Hyrule grinned down at Twilight, “Come on! Lead the way!”

The farm boy glanced between the two hesitantly, because if what they said about how they tried to stop him last time were true, he wasn’t keen on being attacked, but Hyrule seemed eager and Warrior looked tired, so he inched his way off the bed and grabbed his boots to pull on. He then moved to a clearer part of the room to change forms then took off with the other two right behind him.

Twilight paused when they stepped outside. The inn was at the top of a small hill and lifted up on stills. There was a stable nearby, then a small market in the distance right beside a windmill. He felt something stir in him, like all of this was very familiar somehow. He trotted down the stairs and started towards the market with the other two at his side. They had to explain to a few concerned villagers that he wasn’t a vicious wolf waiting to attack, although Warrior said once that he was their pet and he nearly lost a hand for it. When they reached the market, Twilight paused to sniff the ground a bit, then looked up. He was close. Hyrule knelt beside him, “Can you sense him?” Twilight let out a little rumbling sound. “Alright, we’ll back off a little and watch from a distance.” Hyrule looked down at him, “I really don’t think he’s a bad guy, but if something should happen, we’ll rush in to help, ok?” Twilight huffed up at him. The brunette nodded once in return, then stood to drag a protesting Warrior off the main path and behind a cart of flower. A loud sneeze followed.

Twilight watched then go, then started through the market again with his nose to the ground. He wasn’t sure why, but his heart was racing. He was finally going to meet this person when he was fully conscious of it. Was he truly good, like he felt he was? What would he look like? How would he react to him? Was he actually the hero of this world like Hyrule said? Twilight wanted to groan from all the thoughts running through his head.

“So what are you up to today?” Twilight lifted his head to look at a man standing behind a cart that was selling a selection of meats, but couldn’t see who he was talking to because of the another woman who was looking over his good. “Any big adventures planned?” There was a pause, then the man laughed, “Nothing wrong with that! You do so much, you deserve a little rest every now and then. Here, tell ya what, since you helped me fix up my stable the other day, this cut’s on me.” Odd, Twilight hadn’t heard a response to the first question, but the man acted like he was talking to someone. He slowly creeped closer. “No, I insist! Seriously, given what’s going on, it’s the least I can do.” Twilight ducked his head and saw a pair of brown boots standing beside the woman. “Think nothing of it. You have a good day, alright?”

The wolf’s eyes widened when the boots started to move and he quickly ducked out of the way to crouch by a stone well. He peered around and saw the man in the brown boots had on tan pants, a blue and white tunic, and a cape with the hood up. He had no weapons on him, other than a small dagger on his hip. He was carrying a wicker basket that he placed the wrapped meat inside, and Twilight could see some other produce peaking out over the top. This was him, he could feel it. Cautiously, he followed, trying to stay out of sight by ducking behind people and carts. When he got close enough, he was about to pick up his scent, and it sent a rush of warmth through him. _Family._

Suddenly the man stopped, causing Twilight’s eyes to widen. He realized too late that there wasn’t a place to hide, that he was stuck out in the open. The man hesitated, then turned to glance over his shoulder. He turned fully and pushed his hood off his head with a grin, then lifted the hand to make a gesture. _Twilight._ The wolf’s eyes widened. That sign was twilight, and he made the gesture to him. He started at the hand, then looked up at the man’s face. His was a light tan, the kind that came from being out in the sun, and had bright blue eyes. His hair was a golden blonde and pulled into a long, loose braid that hung over his shoulder. Twilight felt his heart rate jump once more, especially when he saw that smile. He knew this boy. It was all coming back to him… the good times, the bad, the reckless stupid shit he had done, the reckless stupid shit they had done together… the glorious battles, the not so glorious nightmares… long nights of listening to him talk about dreams and how he wanted to live his life when all of this was over. This… this was him! This was Link, the hero of this world!

Joy overcame Twilight as everything was set back into place. The violent trip to this world from the last must have messed with his memories, but it was starting to clear. He rushed forward as the man knelt down and held out his arms, nosing at his neck and his cheek, which earned him a disgusted sound and a laugh. The blonde lifted his shoulder to protect the offended areas then wiped them off with the underside of his shirt sleeve. He grabbed Twilight by his chest and pushed him back, but his eyes were sparkling. Soon his hands were on the wolf’s face so he could dug his fingers into his cheeks and his jaw happily. Twilight understood why this Link had signed to him, why he wasn’t talking to him with his voice. This one suffered from anxiety and PTSD he didn’t understand. This one couldn’t remember his past or how he got the scars he carried. Around so many people, his voice left him, but when it had just been the two of them at night, with nothing but the crickets and the owls in the distance, he felt comfortable, _safe,_ enough to use his voice. That was why it had made Twilight feel so special.

Link pulled back his hands to use them to sign. _There you are! I was looking for you! You’ve been slow to appear these last few days. Are you ok?_ Twilight barked his affirmative, earning a smile. _Good. I have a surprise for you. I’m making your favorite today, the beef stew with the pumpkin sauce._ The taste and smelt of the dish quickly came back to him, causing the older hero to bark again, then spin quickly in a circle before looking up at him again. It made Link chuckle in his throat.

The blonde stood and grabbed his basket full of goodies again, then motioned for the wolf to follow him. When he turned his back to him, Twilight looked behind him to where Hyrule and Warrior were peering around a tree at him. Hyrule grinned and gave him a thumbs up. Twilight wagged his tail at him a little, then turned to hurry after his hero. They took a left after the market, following a stone path up a hill, then to a wooden bridge that spanned a river about a hundred feet below. Twilight peered down at it, then up as they approached a house. _Now_ he remembered why he wanted to come this way. This was where this hero lived. He had bought a house and was fixing it up in his spare time. Link pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open for the wolf to go first. The inside was a lot different than what he thought it would be. It looked completely finished.

“You haven’t seen it finished before, have you?” Twilight turned around to look up at the other, a little surprised to hear his voice, but felt that giddiness rush through him again. Link smiled and undid the tie of his cape to hang it up on a coat rack by the door, “It was a lot of work, but I like how it came out. I have a few contractor friends that helped me do the big stuff.” He moved over to a small kitchen area and set his basket on the counter so he could pull off his gloves and roll up his sleeves.

Twilight took the time to wonder around the house. There were some crates under the stairs and a bookshelf against the wall. Twilight sniffed at a couple and found they smelt of ash and dust, causing him to sneeze. He shook his head then moved back to the main room to study the large dining room. On the walls were several weapons shelves with a few on display. He studied a silver trident for a moment, then looked up a blue bow with yellow feathers. They seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place them. Then leaning against the wall in a corner was the Master Sword, the one Sky had sensed this morning. Twilight sat down in front of it to admire for a moment. It was funny… it looked just like the one he had used during his own adventure. Maybe it was. When he had wielded it, he had felt as though there were others standing behind him the whole way. One of those had been Time, but Twilight only felt bitterness at the memory of his mentor right now. He was still upset that he hadn’t taken the time to listen to him instead of just making a decision right away. Turning from there, Twilight walked up to Link and stretched as much as he could to nose at the counter. “Ah!” The newest hero waved a hand at him, “I don’t think so. No pups in the kitchen.”

Twilight huffed, because he wasn’t _really_ a pup, but left anyhow. He poked his head into a few boxes and sniffed a few things, until he caught the scent of something familiar. He pressed his nose to the floor for a moment, then looked up and saw the trail leading towards a very luxurious looking corner, complete with an impossibly fluffy pillow twice his size and a knitted blanket tossed over top. He moved towards it and found it smelt just like him. Confused, he tilted his head and pawed at it a little to see if he could stir up a different scent.

“Oh!” He turned to see Link watching him, drying his hands off on a towel as he moved towards him. “What do you think? I know it’s not in your usual spot, but I thought you would like a little corner all to yourself instead of laying on the floor at the foot of my bed.” He squatted down beside it and folded his hands in his lap, studying the set up, then looked to the wolf. He rose an eyebrow at him, “Why are you just staring at me like that? What, have I offended you by moving it or something?” Twilight had no memory of having a pillow to lay on here at the house, but he did feel some sort of bitterness raise in his chest, as though yes, he was offended that it was moved from wherever it was before. “Is this about the dog vs wolf thing again? I’m not saying you’re an actual domesticated dog, ok? But this has to be better than sleeping on the floor.”

The older hero looked down at the pillow again. He wasn’t a dog, but the other did have a point. If he was going to sleep in this form, he would rather do it somewhere comfortable, and a hardwood floor was not the place. With this mindset, he cautiously put one paw on the pillow, lifting the other as he hesitated, then placed the other. His own scent, plus a mixture of tree, earth, and a little of Link exploded from the bed, causing him to press his nose into it. Link chuckled, which made him lift his head to look at him. He was watching him with fond eyes, chin resting in his hand. Twilight turned his attention back to the pillow and walked in a circle of a few times before settling down.

And good Hylia this was the most amazing thing he had ever planted his wolfy ass on.

Twilight sighed and set his head down on one paw, ears resting back. Link smiled and reached over to rub his head, “Glad you like it.” He then stood and returned to the kitchen to finish whatever it was he was doing. The wolf watched him from his spot, but found the comfort and mixture of scents lulling him to sleep. Now that he understood that the person who kept calling him was the hero of this world and not some malicious sorcerer trying to use him to get to the others, he felt himself relax. He knew he should probably tell the others that he had founded said hero and where he was, but he wasn’t very happy with them right now. Plus Hyrule and Warrior knew where he was and that he was safe. Would a nap really be such a bad things right now? _“No,”_ his tired brain thought as he yawned, _“no it wouldn’t…”_


	4. Chapter 4

He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but a knock at the door woke him. Twilight lifted his head to stare at it, then looked up as he watched Link come down the stairs from the loft area. He smiled at him and held out a hand, “No it’s ok. Don’t get up, Twilight. I’ll get it.”

 _“Good.”_ Th beast thought as he set his head back with a huff.

Link chuckled in his throat and grabbed what looked like a pad of paper and a pen from a small table by the door. The wolf narrowed his eyes at this in wonder, but came to the conclusion that he probably kept that handy in case the person he was talking to didn’t understand Hylian Sign. Twilight slipped his eyes shut again, convinced that whoever it was couldn’t be more important that this pillow right here.

“Good afternoon. I’m sorry to bother you, but we’re looking for someone and was hoping you could help us.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open as he lifted his head. He knew that voice. Just past Link’s form he could see gold armor, a gray tunic, and blonde hair. Instinct kicked in right away and Twilight jumped from his pillow to run growling towards the door. Link moved back in surprise, blinking big eyes down at him. Twilight snarled up at Time as the fur on his back rose, his eyes fierce and sharp. Time looked surprised too, taking a few steps back. Just behind him stood Sky, who let out a squeak when the wolf appeared so suddenly like that. Twilight really didn’t want to hurt either of them, but he was going to keep good on his promise to maul anyone who tried to hurt his hero.

“Twilight?” Time spoke then looked up at Link.

 _“Hey!”_ Twilight barked and snarled as he lunged at him to get him to take a few more steps back, then moved to stand in front of Link. He bared fang, his message clear.

Time frowned and narrowed his eye at him, “Don’t snarl at me unless you want a fight.”

_“Bring it, old man.”_

Twilight heard hurried footsteps behind him, then the sound of a blade behind pulled from its sheath. Time and Sky looked past him, gasping in surprise. “It’s…!” Sky started in awe.

Turning his head ever so slightly, Twilight glanced behind him quickly to see that Link had pulled the Master Sword from its sheath and was standing there, feet firmly planted, holding it with two hands in front of him. The look in his eye and the calm expression on his face affirmed his belief that this truly was the hero of this world. Twilight turned his glare back to Time and Sky, but they weren’t paying attention to him anymore. He barked and let out a particularly loud growl to get them to look at him, but Time didn’t look upset or angry anymore. For a moment he looked confused, brows frowned, then understanding came over his face as his eye widened slightly. “You were protecting the hero this whole time…” He said quietly.

Suddenly Link was at his side, shoving the tip of his blade to Time’s neck. The man quickly held up his hands, but didn’t move. “Easy now… we’re not here to fight.” Link narrowed his eyes at him more, clearly disagreeing. “Forgive me, I believe there has been…” Time glanced down to Twilight, then back to Link, “a misunderstanding. Please, if you lower the sword, I promise to explain everything, if Twilight will allow it.”

Link glared at him, then glanced down at the wolf beside him in a silent question. Twilight studied Time for a long moment, then back to Sky behind him, who looked a mixture of worried, uncomfortable, and terrified. He finally took notice that clutched in his arms was a mass covered in a black sheet, a shape that looked like a sword. He realized that they had probably followed its guidance to the house in response to the one Link had. They were still looking for the hero and had no idea Twilight had actually left. He wonder why Hyrule or Warrior hadn’t told them. Had they been out all morning? He was still bitter about earlier, but Time seemed to have some sort of understanding of the situation. Enough that he was willing to be reasonable. Twilight owed him the same, for the moment, so he stood up straight and looked to Link, giving him a little nod. His hero hesitated then lowered his sword, taking a step back.

“Thank you.” Time spoke calmly, though Sky physically sagged behind him. “May we come inside?”

Link shook his head and tapped his pointer finger and thumb together, _No._ Time’s eye widened a little, seeming a little surprised that this hero spoke in sign instead of with his voice. Link took it as not understanding his words and pointed behind him to the yard firmly. The eldest held up his hands and nodded, taking a few steps back. He motioned with his head for Sky to follow and walked over to a large tree to the side to wait. When they were out of earshot, Link put the tip of the blade on the floor and squatted beside Twilight. “Can they be trusted?” He asked quietly, eyes laser focused. Twilight sat back and glanced towards the door, then back at Link. He didn’t nod, but he didn’t shake his head. Link took this as the answer and went to grab the sheath he had dropped to the ground in such a hurry. He pulled the strap on over his back and placed the sword inside, then grabbed the Hyrule shield from where it leaned against the wall nearby. He hooked that to his back then pulled the tie from his hair so he could shift it up into a ponytail instead, no doubt to keep it out of his face should a fight ensue. He then grabbed a device from the kitchen counter and hooked it to his belt. It took Twilight a minute, but he recalled its name as the Sheikah Slate, some sort of magical device that could do a number of interesting things. Link turned back to him and motioned to himself as he rose a brow. Twilight nodded. He didn’t think they would get into a fight, but if they did, Link was equipped enough to handle himself. Link nodded once back then started for the door with Twilight at his heels.

Time and Sky were talking in hushed tones by the tree, but straightened when he and Link approached. “Thank you for giving us a chance to explain ourselves.” Time said when they got closer. Twilight huffed and rolled his eyes, recognizing the diplomatic attitude. Where had that been this morning? “Some of what I’m going to say isn’t going to make sense, but trust me when I say that every bit of it is truth. If you need confirmation, you can ask Twilight.”

Link glanced down at the wolf, who nodded in return. He then grabbed the slate from his hip and tapped his fingers against the screen, then held it up. Sky and Time leaned forward to study it, a little confused. Link must be writing out his words on the device, thinking they didn’t understand Hylian sign.

Sky pointed to it as he looked up at Link, “You’re writing your words using this device?” He asked, earning a nod. “You can’t speak?” Twilight let out a warning growl at that, finding the comment a little on the offensive side. Sky’s eyes widened as he held up his hands, a bit of warmth coming to his cheeks as he realized his mistake. “No! I didn’t mean… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound like you were stupid or incapable. It’s just… before you signed, right? You said no when Time asked if we could go inside.” Now it was Link’s turn to look a little surprised, but nodded in confirmation. Sky smiled and motioned between him and Time, “We both understand and speak it. If it’s more comfortable for you to sign instead, please feel free.”

Link hesitated, but nodded and hooked the slate back to his belt. _I don’t know who you are,_ he started, _but Twilight seems to think you’re trustworthy enough to listen to._ He then put one hand on his hip and rolling his hand at them, motioning for them to speak.

Time nodded and glance down at the wolf. “A fact which I’m very grateful for right now, because I know… I don’t deserve it, after the way I treated him.” Twilight huffed his agreement. “I’m sorry, I should have listened to you this morning. The way I acted was completely uncalled for.” The wolf made a rumbling sound in his throat to keep him from continuing down that trail. While he did appreciate the fact that he was trying to fix the bridge he burned this morning, now wasn’t the time. He could already feel Link’s confused gaze poke at the side of his head. “Right,” Time turned back to the hero. “First, allow me to introduce us. Because of certain circumstances, I have taken on the nickname Time and this is Sky. Your name is Link, isn’t it?” The blonde nodded.

Sky smiled a little, “I know it says it on that sign over there, but trust us when we say we had a feeling that was your name long before we got to your house. You see… that’s actually our real names too, but it would be really difficult to talk to distinguish between each other, to we’ve taken on the names gifted to us by the sword.”

“The Master Sword.” Time added, causing Link to narrow his eyes at him in disbelief, because he had said sword strapped to his back right now and it never told him anything about others that shared his name. Time chuckled, “I know. You’re wondering how that can be. Well…” he motioned to Sky, who removed the sheet that had been wrapped around the sword in his arms. Link’s eyes widened when he saw the legendary blade, but narrowed his eyes at them again.

 _“You’re going to have to do better than that._ ” Twilight thought as he sighed. He could recall others in his time with this Link that claimed they had the real sword, or that his was fake, or that it wasn’t Master Sword but Master _Torch._ This world was filled with knock offs.

Sensing his skepticism, Sky pulled the blade from the sheath, causing it to glow a brilliant blue light. Link’s eyes widened as he took a step back and grabbed the hilt of his own sword. He eyed it curiously, then slowly pulled out his own. It too was glowing, pulsing slowly in response to the other blade. Link stared at it, tension lining his shoulders, then looked back to the others. “She speaks to you,” Sky said with a fond smile, “doesn’t she? Perhaps not full conversations, but little whispers of encouragement or wisdom. You are her master now and she’s dedicated to helping you succeed in your mission.”

“It has to do with the castle, doesn’t it?” Time asked. “We saw it when we got here. It was covered in shadows.”

Link frowned and sheathed his sword to free his hands. _Who are you?_

“We are all reincarnations of the hero Goddess Hylia chose thousands of years ago.” Time explained. “We come from timelines and worlds that are very similar, but very different. Each of us had our own battles and reasons for taking up the sword, mainly to defeat Ganon, save the kingdom, and save the princess. Sound familiar?”

Link’s tense shoulders rose a little, but he said nothing in response. Sensing this, Twilight moved closer to him and lifted his head into his hand, peering up at him. The blonde lost a bit of his tension as he looked down at him, giving him a little smile in thanks, rubbing his head a little. He turned his gazes back to the other, narrowing his eyes a little again as seemed to roll their words around in his head for a moment. _It sounds crazy._ He eventually signed, _The only thing you have going for you is the sword._

Sky smiled and shrugged as he slipped the blade back into its sheath, then held it close with both hands. “I know. It was easier for us as a whole, I think, because we were all thrown together at once. I was just wandering around the surface when this portal of white light appeared in the sky and sucked me up!” He threw his hand in the air as he looked up, “It was terrifying! And it affected nothing else! The grass didn’t even move! The next thing I knew, I was laying in dark temple that seemed to glow from the inside. The windows were black, like there was no light outside. That’s when I saw the others, and when we discussed what happened, we realized we had all seen the white portal.” He smiled, “It was funny when we tried to introduce ourselves, because we all share the same name. We eventually just agreed to go by our titles, just in a shorter form. Like,” he put a hand to his chest, “I’m the Hero of the Sky, and he’s is the Hero of Time, make sense?”

Link nodded slowly, but still looked confused. _But if you’re reincarnations of this long past hero and you were all summoned from a bunch of different time lines, why wasn’t I?_ He asked, _If what you’re saying is true and I’m also part of this weird chain, shouldn’t I have been sucked up too?_

Time crossed his arms and frowned, “I know. That portion is odd. It shouldn’t matter that you seem to be the newest reincarnation, you should have been pulled in too.”

Sky touched his arm lightly to get his attention, “But then again, we were all brought here to this world, so in a way, we were still brought together.”

Time nodded, “That’s true. It might have something to do with the fact that Ganon hasn’t been defeated in this realm as well. He still has a task to complete.”

“Mm, that’s true… Oh!” The dirty blonde grinned as he held up a finger, “I have an idea! I know a way we can prove to you that we’re telling the truth! Here, let me see your right hand.” Link hesitated for a moment, glancing down at Twilight. When the wolf nodded, he gave the boy his hand. Sky took it and flipped it so his palm was facing down. “Now, let’s see…” He looked at his own right hand and narrowed his eyes, “Hm… how do I…?”

“Here,” Time grabbed Sky’s wrist with his left hand and placed it on Link’s. Suddenly the back of his hand started to glow, revealing a small Triforce. This caused the one on Sky’s hand to glow, then after a moment, one appeared on the newest hero’s. Link gasped as he stared at the mark, nearly yanking his hand back. “You’ve been branded by the Goddess,” Time explained, “just like the rest of us. Each person who is chosen by her has this mark on the their hand. The only variation between us is which hand we hold a blade with.” He met the boy’s eyes, “Do you believe us now, hero?”

Link stared up at him, then back down at his hand. Twilight watched his expression closely. He knew this was a lot to take in and he didn’t want to overwhelm him. At the same time, they needed him to believe them. He wasn’t sure of the reason why they were brought all together in the first place, or why they were dropped off in this world, but he knew they would need the hero’s help. Whatever evil was rising, it would take all of them to defeat it.

Carefully, Link took his hand back and watched as the mark slowly faded away. He rubbed the skin then glanced up at the others, looking a little torn but eventually nodded. _I believe you._

Sky gasped in delight as his eyes lit up, “You do?! Yay!” He carefully set the Master Sword down behind him then turned to jump the blonde and wrap his arms tightly around his shoulders in a hug. Link stumbled back in surprise. Sky laughed then pulled back to put his hands on his shoulders, “I can’t wait for you to meet the others, you’ll love them! They’re just at the inn down the street!” He turned to grab his sword, but paused, looking back at him with wide eyes. “Oh, wait. That was a lot to take in just now. If you don’t want to meet them right now, you don’t have to! I mean, our objective was to find you, and we have, so now we need a new battle plan. It’s not like we’re leaving today or tomorrow.”

Link hesitated, _How many are there?_

“Um…” Sky counted on his fingers as he glanced away in thought, “Eight, not including you.”

The blonde made a little face, looking uncomfortable with the idea. Twilight let out a little whine as he tapped his front paws on the ground a little to get his attention, then nosed at his pants. He knew how this Link felt about being the center of attention around a group of people he didn’t know. Grateful villagers and children were one thing, but these were all heroes from different time lines. Twilight could understand it being overwhelming, but if he did decide to go now, he wanted him to know he would be beside him the entire time. This seemed to comfort the boy greatly, enough to turn and look back at the others, giving a nod. _But only if I can bring Twilight with me._

The two before him blinked in confusion, then glanced at each other. Twilight felt cold chill rush through him when he realized what meeting the others would mean. Link didn’t know he was a hero too, that he actually had a Hylian form. He thought he was just a wolf he adopted out in the woods. His counterparts had no idea he hadn’t told him yet. Oh Hylia, how was he going to break it to him?

“Uh, yeah of course. He’s-…” Sky started, but Time was quick to put the pieces together and slapped a hand over the other’s mouth.

“He’s more than welcome to come, if that’s what makes you feel most comfortable.” Time told him, then glanced down at Twilight. They were the only ones who knew they were actually related by not just spirit, but blood. However, it had taken a while for Time to tell him, and even longer to Twilight to accept it. They didn’t have that luxury this time, and judging by the look he was getting, Twilight needed to get to it, and soon.

Link made a little face at the way they were acting, but didn’t comment on it. _Alright, I’ll go, but give me a minute to lock up._

“Take as long as you need, no rush.” Time pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, “We’re just down the street. I think it’s the only inn in town.”

The blonde smiled and nodded, then headed back towards the house. Twilight hurried after, seeing the opportunity Time was giving him. They were going ahead to give him a chance to break the news to the new hero. He was glad Link wanted to check on the stew first, allowing them the privacy and comfort of his house. He watched the boy stir a spoon around the pot, wafting this amazing, mouth watering scent into the air. It was almost enough to make Twilight forget what he was supposed to be doing.

“This is crazy, right?” Link said as he knelt down to poke at the fire under the pot to make sure it was giving off an even heat. “I mean, I’ve heard from so many people that there were other heroes way back when, but I thought they were just legends and stories. Turns out they’re actually real, and they were standing right in front of me!” Link grinned back at the wolf, “I think this is the weirdest thing to happen to me so far.”

 _“Oh I don’t know about that…”_ Twilight thought pitifully.

The blonde seemed to notice the other’s antsy energy, because he stood and frowned. “What’s wrong? Are you nervous about meeting the others too?” He gave him an awkward smile as his shoulders raised to his ears and he rubbed the back of his head, “Oh Hylia, don’t be nervous! If you’re nervous, then I’ll be nervous!” He walked over to scratch his head affectionately, “You know, I’ve fought demons and monsters and never once was I nervous. Scared, but not nervous. Now I’m going to meet a group of people who share my name and this weird destiny and my heart is racing! Ugh I just kind of want to hide under my bed.” He chuckled a little.

Finally he stood and took a deep breath, clutching at the leather strap across his chest that held his sword. “Well… I guess we should get going. I don’t want to keep them waiting and if _I_ wait any longer, I’ll cucco out.” He started towards the door, but Twilight quickly grabbed the flap of his tunic in his mouth and tugged. Startled, the boy turned to look at him, “What is it?” He frowned and knelt in front of him, “Is there something I should know before we go?”

 _“Yes._ ” Twilight felt like he was going to be sick. Maybe if he just did this quick, like ripping off a band-aid, it wouldn’t be so bad. With a deep breath, he took a few steps back and closed his eyes, willing his form to change before he too cucco’d out. When the shadows faded, Twilight stood up straight on two feet, then peaked his eyes open to see the other’s reaction. Link stood with his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide as he stared at him in complete disbelief. Twilight pressed his lips together and glanced away, then sighed as his shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.” He finally spoke, “I never… I wasn’t trying to deceive you or like… gain your trust to do something terrible. I honestly don’t understand why I knew you before all this started, because back then, I didn’t even know the others existed! Well I mean, other than Time, but that’s a long story.” He made a face and put a hand to his head. “I don’t really remember when all of this started, when I started to come to this world to visit you or even how I would get here, and there are bits and pieces of our adventures missing. Honestly, I don’t think… I don’t think I could change back before all of this happened, when ever hero from every timeline was yanked from their worlds and shoved together.” His eyes widened a little as he stared to the side, “Believe me, I wished I could, because you would do some stupid shit and I just wanted to strangle you, or when you’d have nightmares or flashback and all I could do was sit there with my head in your lap and watch you cry and it was so frustrating!” He sighed and closed his eyes, pressing his fingers to his forehead as he pushed his bangs back. “I should have told you some how. I should have told you that I was a hero too and that I was actually a Hylian cursed with a wolf form. Ugh Hylia, I can’t even imagine what this must feel like for you or what you must think of me. I’m so sorry.”

There was nothing but silence for a long time and Twilight wanted to just curl up as tight as he could and maybe compress himself enough to disappear forever. He had made a promise to himself that he would protect this boy with his life and destroy anyone who hurt him, yet here he was, the object of the pain he surely felt. He imaged he felt betrayed, angry, upset… He expected him to shove him away and glare at him and his eyes would be filled with hate and tears and he just knew it would rip the heart from his chest. Hylia what had he done?

He heard one footstep, then another, and jumped when he felt something touch his arm. He opened his eyes and straightened when he saw the other staring up at him in curiosity instead of anger. He took both his wrists to pull his hands from his face then studied him closely. Twilight pressed his lips together and tried not to squirm. Link put a hand on his jaw so he could move his head side to side, then paused and lifted the other to touch the topaz cuff on his ear. His eyes then returned to his face as he pushed his bangs out of the way to study the markings that adorned his forehead and nose, running a thumb over it a few times. Link pulled his hands back and took in his new height and clothing silently.

Twilight felt like he was going to explode. “I understand if you’re upset.” He tried, holding out his hands. “I-I basically lied to you for Hylia knows how long and… if you don’t want me around anymore, I totally get that.” Link’s eyes widened as they lifted back to his. He blinked at him in what seemed like confusion, then slowly, he started to smile as a little laugh escaped him, putting the side of his hand to his mouth as he turned his head away. Twilight stared at him like he grew a second head, “What… why are you laughing? I don’t understand, you should be furious with me!”

“Why?” The blonde asked as he looked back to him.

“B-Because…”

“Because you couldn’t speak as a wolf?”

“I…”

Link put his hands on the other’s shoulders, “No, you don’t understand.”

Twilight blinked big eyes down at him, “Clearly.”

“This,” he motioned to the other then grabbed his shoulder again, “is amazing!”

“Is it?”

“Yes!” Link grinned and gripped his shoulders tighter, leaning forward. “Do you know what I’m doing right now?”

Twilight made a face, “Squeezing the life out of my shoulders?”

“No! I’m _talking_ to you! I’m talking to you and you’re _answering_ me!” Link let out a little laugh then rushed forward to wrap his arms around his torso in a tight hug. Twilight tensed in surprise, lifting his arms as he stared blindly forward. This was not the shoving and hitting he expected. “You’re the only person I actually talk to, the only one I can share everything with and not get some stupid pitied look.” He held him tighter, “You understand me and you’re always there for me. Before you, I had no one and no memories. You’re my best friend, Twilight, and now I can actually talk to you!”

The farm boy stood stiff for a long moment as his brain tried to find its way back into his body from wherever it had been blown to. He… he wasn’t mad at him. In fact, he was happy… ecstatic! Twilight thought of a million things that could have happened when he finally revealed who he really was to the other, and this was definitely not one of the outcomes, but as he stood there, he slowly started to realize… he was right. How many times had he wished he could change to tell him how great he was doing, or give him a hug when he was struggling with his nightmares?

Link pulled back to look up at him with a blinding grin, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet as he brushed a piece of hair behind his ear. “There’s so much I want to ask you! Like… like…” He laughed, “I’m so excited I can’t even remember what questions I had! Um…” He glanced away, then gasped and looked back up at him with big eyes. “What do you think of the stew, the pumpkin one? Do you really like it or do you just eat it because you don’t want to make me feel bad?”

Twilight straightened, “No! I love your stew, are you kidding me? I have a friend back home who makes the most amazing pumpkin soup. Your stew is the closet thing to that and I would kill someone for it.”

“Really?! You really like it?”

“Yes!”

“Ha! Um, good! Th-That’s good! Heh.”

Twilight found himself slowly starting to smile, his worries vanishing to be replaced with an unmeasurable joy. He hesitated for a moment, then lifted his hands to place them on the other’s shoulders. “I’ve always wanted to tell you that I think you’re amazing. You woke up with no memories of anything but your name and without a thought, threw your life on the line for others. Without an ounce of hesitation, you picked up a sword and started to fight for the people with hardly any help whatsoever. You could have easily slipped into fear of the unknown or waved off the voices in your head as just the wind, but you didn’t. You kept fighting. And I have no idea what happened all those years ago that resulted in you having to sleep for so long, but I do know how the nightmares and the flashbacks torment you, so as one of the first things I get to say to you, I want you to know that you’re absolutely amazing and one of the strongest people I know. And if anyone says otherwise I will make them regret it.” Link smiled up at him, his eyes sparkling from emotion and happy tears. Those simple words had meant the world to him, and it showed. Twilight smiled back and pulled him in for another hug. The younger one clung tightly to his tunic and buried his face into the fur that draped over his shoulder. “Careful,” Twilight teased, “if you get my pelt wet, I’ll be pissed.” A laugh bubbled out of the hero, causing Twilight to chuckle a little in his throat and close his eyes. This… was good.

Finally he pulled back and put his hands on the other’s shoulders, “Alright, come on. Pull yourself together.” Link sniffled a little and rubbed at his face, then smiled up at him. “Good man. Now, I know you were eager to met the others, but if it’s too much so suddenly, you don’t have to go now. It can wait until tomorrow.”

“No, I… I want to meet them.” Link shrugged, “It’ll be cool to meet the people the legends were written about.”

Twilight huffed, but smiled at him. “Alright, then let’s go.” He glanced back at the pot steaming away over the fire. “Are you sure you want to leave that fire going when we’re not here?”

Link nodded and waved a hand at it. “It’ll be fine. I had it built so sparks don’t hop out of place or spread.”

“That’s awfully handy.”

“Mhmm, that way I can have stuff cooking all day and everything gets a chance to caramelize and tenderize.”

“Oh Hylia stop, you’re making me hungry.” Twilight glanced back to him, “I still get to have some tonight, right?”

“Well duh, I did make it for the two of us.”

The farm boy made a fist and yanked it back, “Yes!” Link chuckled into his hand. “You know, I’m not nearly this expressive around the others. You better not tell them. It’ll ruin my cool image.”

“Hehe! Well, I’m not the most expressive around people I don’t know, so I think your secret is safe with me.” They stepped outside and paused so Link could lock the door behind them then started back towards town. _So like…_ the hero switched back to sign, now that they were around others, _you said you weren’t from here, right? What’s your home like? I had no idea there were other worlds besides this one._

Twilight pushed the sides of his tunic up a little so he could stuff his hands into his pockets, “It’s still Hyrule, just a different version. It’s got all the basics, like Zora’s Domain, Death Mountain, Castle Town… I grew up on a farm in a tiny village called Ordon, far to the south of the castle, where we mainly raised goats but we had some horses and cuccos too. It wasn’t far from the Lost Woods, actually.”

Link smiled, _That explains a lot. I always thought were were eyeing the goats at stables because you were hungry. Turns out they were just familiar._

“Mhm. I think you would be a good farm hand. You’re good with animals, not afraid to get your hands dirty, and have a healthy respect for nature.”

The boy tilted his head as he put a finger to his chin, seeming to roll the idea around in his head a little, then nodded. _I think I would like that. I already help some of the stables if I’ve got the time._

He suddenly stopped then and gasped, causing Twilight to raise a brow at him. Link pulled the slate off his belt and fiddled with it, then turned it to point to what he had explained was a camera icon on the screen. Twilight made a face, “You want to take a picture? Of what, me?” Link nodded. “…You sure it’s not gonna steal my soul or something?” He earned an unimpressed look for that one. “What? I hate that thing. It’s like it’s alive, but it’s not. I can’t stand magic.”

Link tucked the slate under his arm to free up his hands, _Now you’re just being a closed minded butthead._

The farm boy’s eyes widened in offense, “I’m not a butthead!” A woman passing by gave him a weird look, which caused his face to warm in embarrassment and for Link to giggle behind his hand. “You did that on purpose.” The oldest hero accused with narrowed eyes as the other pressed his lips together and rocked back and forth on his feet a little.

_Maybe you should have just let me take the picture and not been a butthead._

“I’m not-! No, I’m not falling for that again.” Twilight sighed and tipped his head back. “Alright fine, take your picture.” Link grinned and held up his slate, then had to take a few steps back. Twilight made a face, but when Link tossed him a glare over the top of the device, he sighed again. He gave him a smile that seemed to please him and soon a little clicking sound followed. Link then hurried back and wrapped an arm around his the back of his neck as he held the device up above them, getting close enough to press their heads together. Twilight could see both their faces on the screen and the blinding grin on the other’s face. He was so excited about all of this, that Twilight couldn’t help but give an honest, genuine smile. After Link took the picture, he stepped back to hold the device with both hands and tap the screen with his thumbs. Twilight put his hands on his hips, “Why do you take so many pictures?” He asked.

Link paused in what he was doing and glanced a head of him blindly with a sad smile. He was quiet for a moment, before tucking the device under his arm, _If I lose my memory again, I want to make sure I have pictures of the things that are most important to me, so maybe I’ll remember them._

Twilight blinked wide eyes at him, then huffed as a fond little smile spread across his face. “Shit kid, you’re making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” The blonde chuckled and finished whatever it was he was doing with the slate, then placed it back on his belt. Bouncing back, he hooked his arm around Twilight’s as they continued towards the inn.


	5. Chapter 5

Just as they reached the stairs, Link hesitated. The man beside him frowned, “You ok?”

The blonde nodded and gave him a half smile, _Nervous._

“Don’t be. You’re just as much of a hero as these people. If you weren’t good enough or strong enough, the Master Sword wouldn’t have allowed you to pull it from whatever stone it managed to wedge itself into.” Twilight sighed and rolled his eyes, “Hylia knows the thing like to be dramatic like that.” Link chuckled a little in his throat at this, causing his companion to smile. “Come on, I’ll be right there with you the entire time. And if it gets to be too much, we can leave, and I’ll let you feed me.”

Link rose a brow at him, _You’ll_ let _me feed you._

“Well since you’re insisting.”

The boy put the side of his hand to his mouth as he chuckled again, trying to keep the sound to a minimum, then took a deep breath. Twilight waited patiently for him to work out his thoughts and feeling, until he gave him a nod to go ahead. He took his arm back and trotted up the stairs to hold and hold out the door for him, then guided him up the stairs and down the hall. When he reached their room, he looked back at Link once more to make sure he was still good to go, then pushed it open.

When he peered inside, the chatter instantly stopped, every pair of eyes turning to look at him. He had expected maybe some suspicious looks, given the fact that he had escaped the room he was instructed not to leave to run off to the man who kept whistling for him, but instead they looked eager and curious. Time must have explained the situation to them. Twilight turned back to Link, who was messing with his hands, pressing his thumb into his palm firmly a few times to work through his nervous. The farm boy stepped into room and held the door open with his butt. “Gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you the newest hero.” He held out his hand and motioned him froward, “Come on.”

Link hesitated for a moment, _Wait, do they all know sign? I don’t want to look like an idiot._

Twilight thought for a moment, then looked back at the others. “Do all of you understand sign?”

Wind raised his hand from where he was sitting criss-cross on a bed, “I’m a little rusty, but I think I can get the gist.”

Hyrule smiled at Legend beside him, “I’m sure ours is a little out of date, but the basics should be similar enough that we can figure it out.” Legend nodded in agreement to this.

Twilight looked back to the blonde lingering in the hallway, “Yes. Some are more fluent than others, but they’ll get the idea. Don’t worry, we all have our moments of silence.” He smirked, “Do you want to hold my hand?”

Link narrowed his eyes at him and slapped the one still out stretched to him away, earning a snicker. Finally took a deep breath then entered the room, glancing around to take in all the new faces, and found smiles on them all. He smiled in return and lifted a hand to his temple in greeting, but was nearly tackled to the ground by a blur of blue and blonde, causing him to gasp. Wind clung to him as he gave him the biggest grin Twilight had ever seen. “You’re here! We’re so glad to meet you! My name is Wind! Well I mean, it’s actually Link, but I think they explained that to you already. It’s so nice to meet you! Is your name Link too? Do you live nearby? I like your blue tunic! Mine’s blue too! Do you play any instruments? Do you like to fish? How do you know Twilight? And how do you manage to whistle loud enough for it to carry over vast distances? Is it magic? Are you magical?”

Twilight sighed and ripped the boy from Link’s front by picking him up by his armpits and depositing him on a bed. “Slow down, windpipes. Give the kid some room to breathe.” He moved to stand beside the newest hero and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Let me introduce you to everyone, ok?” He looked up and went around the room, pointing to each person. “This is Wind…”

“Hi!!”

Twilight glanced up and asked the Goddess for strength under his breath. “Then you have Legend and Hyrule, they’re the oldest as far as where the timeline starts I think. I don’t know, it’s all really confusing. Then there’s Four… and Warrior, the newest before you came along, Sky, and Time.” He leaned towards his ear and put a hand to his mouth, “We think Time is actually the oldest, soul wise. If nothing else he acts like an old man.”

“I heard that.” Said the “old man” in question.

Twilight pretended like he didn’t hear him and looked back to the group. “Everyone, this is…” he made a face, “Link.”

Legend rose an amused eyebrow at him, “Would never have guessed.”

“Shut up.”

Hyrule pushed off from the bed and made his way over the futon still spread out on the floor to the newest hero, smiling up at him as he held out his hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I have heard nothing but amazing things.”

Link blinked in surprise, but took his hand to shake. _You know who I am?_ He asked after.

“Mhm, Twilight told me all about you this morning.” The brunette turned back to the others and put his hands on his hips, “Now I think three of you owe me money. Pay up! Fifty rupees each!” There was a collective grumble that passed through the group as some shifted to grab their wallets.

Twilight frowned and narrowed his eyes a little at this, “What happened?”

Hyrule smirked back at him, “I made a bet with them saying that this mystery person that keeps calling you was actually the new hero and not an evil sorcerer.”

Link glanced up at Twilight with an amused look, _You guys thought I was an evil sorcerer?_

“Well you would whistle and Twilight would turn into this mindless ball of determination!” Wind told him, holding his hands close together to symbolize a ball. “Like once - actually I think it was yesterday - you whistled and Twilight went ridged, but we knew he was gonna try and take off to Hylia knows where, so we grabbed him but he’s _so freaking strong_ it’s crazy and he got away and Time grabbed him with a Hookshot and Four froze his hands to the ground but he _still_ broke free and shot off like an arrow to find you. We thought he was possessed or something.”

Link smirked up at the farm boy, who went a little tense with embarrassment and narrowed his eyes at him. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re such a wreck that you need my help. I got there yesterday and you had a skeleton’s arm through your chest that was _still moving_ and told me it was fine.”

_It was fine._

“It was not fine! There was a _moving_ arm in your chest!”

_It happens all the time._

“Oh my Hylia, don’t tell me that!”

A snicker went through the room. “Maybe we should call him Wreck.” Four supplied with a smirk.

“You do raise a good point though.” Time spoke from where he was sitting in a chair in the far corner of the room with his elbow propped on the armrest so he could hold up his chin, “He’ll need a different name, or it’s going to get confusing very fast.”

“Well what’s his title?” Warrior asked as he held out a purple rupee, but jumped and snatched his hand back when Hyrule swooped in like a bird of prey to take it from him.

Link tilted his head, _Title?_

“Like your hero’s title.” Legend explained as he propped his elbow up on his knee to hold his chin in one hand, then held out his money for Hyrule to take with the other. “What are you known for? What element is so pronounced throughout your story that people who think back on it will remember it in an instance? Usually it’s the sword or the princess that gives it to you when you complete your quest.”

The newest hero blinked at him a few times, looking at a lose, then turned his gaze to Twilight. “Hm,” the other frowned, “you haven’t completed your quest yet and you…” he narrowed his eyes a little, “do you remember the princess at all?” Link made a face and held out his palm flat to tilt side to side.

Hyrule stuffed his newfound rupees into his pouch, “Well what if we ask the sword what his title is? Surely she’s come up with something by now.”

Time sat forward to put his elbows on his knees, “She only hands out titles when the hero has completed his quest. She may have something in mind, but she wouldn’t tell us. We’ll just have to come up with something for the time being.”

The brunette hummed at this, then smiled over to Twilight, “You know him the best, Twilight. Why don’t you come up with something?”

The farm boy twisted his lips in thought as he glanced down at the boy beside him, then smirked, earning a narrow-eyed look. “How about… Mess? Or… Disaster?” A few in the room snickered.

Link shoved the other boy away from him, _I’m not a disaster!_

“Says the guy who had moving arm lodged in his chest and said it was fine.”

Link sighed and rolled his eyes at this.

“Or we could call you Suicide, because if you don’t plan to die at least once in your attack plan, then something is wrong.”

_Watch it. I don’t have to feed you. I can eat that stew all by myself and make you watch._

Twilight gasped, “Fiend! Fine. How about…” he paused, seeming to give real thought to it this time. Finally he smiled and grabbed the other to wrap an arm around his neck so he could ruffle his hair, “How about Wild?”

Hyrule gasped and put his hands together. “It’s perfect! I don’t know you personally yet but I _do_ know that this is perfect.”

Legend smirked, “If he’s as disaster prone as you say, then Wild sounds good.”

The newest hero gripped at Twilight’s arm and made a face, struggling to break free from his torturous grasp, but was no match for his strength. “Let me tell you all something. This kid can walk out into the middle of the woods with nothing but a wooden spoon and a pair of socks and last longer than any of you fully equipped. Honestly, he’d probably go insane if he lived in the city. If this kid walked onto my farm, I’d give him a job in a heart beat.” Twilight told them, eventually taking his hand away after successfully musing his hair to match his new nickname. Wild pulled away from him to take his hair out of the ponytail it had been in to run his fingers through it to try and get it back under control. “Oh,” Twilight looked to the others, “and he’s an amazing cook.”

“Yes!” Warriors cried, startling all of them into staring at him. He put his hands on his head, eyes wide, “Please come with us! I can’t eat another bite of Hyrule’s surprise meat stew! There! I said it! I’m sorry, but I said it!”

Hyrule’s eyes got big as he jutted out his bottom lip, “You didn’t like it?!”

“No! I dumped it out on a bush and I swear to the goddess it was dead by morning!” The brunette put a hand to his chest and made an offended sound.

Time sighed and rubbed his face a little at them, but stood from his chair to walk over to the newest hero. Wild looked up at him, quickly taking his fingers out of his hair. He put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a little smile, “Well then, I welcome you to the team, Wild. I know you have a task here to finish first. The land of Hyrule and its people come before everything else, and I also know the last thing you would probably want to do after defeating Ganon here is to go on another quest to stop yet another evil, but we need your help. I’m not sure what we’re fighting just yet, but if the Goddess demands her past heroes and a brand new one, then it must be very serious. I know you barely know us, so we really have no right to ask you to give up the life you could have after your quest is complete, but I do ask that you give it some thought. Anything you could offer would be a great asset to the team.”

Wind grinned and held up a hand, “You could really learn to like us! We’re an awesome group! We all have a little something different to offer!”

Legend smirked, “I mean you better learn to like us. It’s not like we’re going anywhere. We’re stuck here in this world, which means you’re stuck with us.”

Sky held up his hands, “But like no pressure!”

“Honestly we don’t know where to go,” Four added, raising a finger as he tossed him a sheepish smile, “so like… yeah. We’re probably gonna follow you around like lost puppies.”

Link stared at them, messing with his hair a little, then lifted his hands to sign, _But I already have one of those._ He bit his lip and glanced up at Twilight.

The older boy glanced at him, then did a double take, his eyes widening in offense when he realized he was talking about him. “You-! Oh! _Excuse me!_ I am _not_ a lost puppy!”

The room erupted with laughter. “Oh! Oh I like him! Can we keep him?” Legend shouted, pointing at the newest hero.

Wild grinned and stood up a little straighter, slowly growing more comfortable around this new group. He touched Time’s arm as lightly as he could to get his attention, _I can’t make promises._ He told him, _I don’t know what’s going to happen when the time comes for me to fight Ganon, and I’m not even close. I still have beasts to free and things to relearn, but as I stand right now, I would be glad to help you all. I don’t want some evil person coming in and destroying the world I just saved._

Time nodded, “I understand completely. You have to duty to your quest first and we will honor that, but if you don’t mind…” he motioned to the rest of the group, “we would like to help. We can’t fight your battles for you, but we can get you ready.”

Hyrule grinned and rolled his hands around each other, catching sparkles to dance off them, “I can teach you some magic!”

“I’ve got a few gadgets I can let you borrow.” Legend added with a smirk.

“Oh! I can make you something!” Wind told him excitedly then looked to the others, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb, “I found some screws and gears littering that field we walked through when we came to town. I betchya I can make something really cool with those.”

Four smirked and held out his hands, palms facing each other, “I can make you a sword that’s tougher than Goron steel.”

Twilight gave the new hero a nudge with his elbow, “And now that I have hands, I can teach you how to use it.” He crossed his arms, “Ever heard of a flurry rush?” Wild’s eyes got big as he quickly shook his head, looking eager already.

Warrior rose a brow at him, “Please, what are you going to teach him; how to till a field?” He looked back to Wild and pointed to himself with his thumb, “If you wanna learn sword technique, then you should learn it from the captain of the guards of Hyrule Castle.”

Twilight narrowed his eyes and pointed at him, “Back off, city boy.” He told him, but his accent leaked through and drew out the vowels in the word ‘boy.’ It caused the others to snicker.

“Careful,” Legend warned with a grin, “your country bum is showing.” The older hero straightened as his face turned a little pink, then cleared his throat into his fist.

Wild chuckled a little into his hand, his eyes sparkling as he looked up at Twilight, then at the rest of the group. He seemed to be warming up to them already. He snapped his fingers to get their attention again, _Well, since it seems like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, why don’t you all come to my house and I can cook us some dinner?_

Twilight rose a brow at him, crossing his arms, “I’m not sharing. I am being selfish and _not_ sharing.”

Wild nudged him with his elbow, _I don’t have enough stew to feed seven people. I’ll just throw something else together._

“We wouldn't want to inconvenience you.” Time told him, but the other just shook his head.

_Not at all, it’ll be nice. I don’t usually have people over to visit._

“Well shit, since you’re offering,” Legend grinned, “who are we to turn down free food?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done folks! <3
> 
> Forgive me for any grammar errors I may have missed in my proof reading >~<


	6. Chapter 6

The group made their way back to Wild’s house, where they gathered around the table while their host through something together in another stone pot beside the one cooking the stew. He placed two bottles of wine on the table for them, but paused when he realized Wind would be too young for that. He tapped his chin in thought and snapped his fingers when he got an idea, then dug out a pitcher to fill with water. In no time at all, he whipped up a quick lemonade and set it on the table along with a glass for the younger hero. Wind gasped in delight and quickly poured himself a glass to suck down with a happy hum. Wild chuckled and went back to cooking. Twilight walked over to him as he tucked his gloves into his pocket and rolled up his sleeves, “Can I help?” He asked as he tossed him a grin, “Ya know, if you’ll allow me in the kitchen now.” Wild seemed a little surprised at first before realization and joy came to his eyes. He smiled and nodded as he slid him the cutting board with a knife and a couple mushroom on it. He bumped his shoulder with his, eye sparkling at he looked up at him. Twilight didn’t need words to understand that the other was excited that they could do things like this together now. After Wild showed him how he wanted them cut, Twilight got to work, tossing the pieces into the pot when he went through a whole mushroom.

“What’s this?” The pair looked over at Warrior, who was eyeing the fluffy pillow in the corner with a glass of the wine in hand. He smirked up at Twilight, “Is this… a dog bed?”

The country boy glared at him and opened his mouth to defend himself, but Wild put a hand on his shoulder to speak instead. _It’s a bed for a very important_ wolf _so he doesn’t have to sleep on the cold hard floor when he comes to visit me._

Warrior pushed out his lips in a pout, disappointed he didn’t get the reaction he was hoping for. “Oh great, you two have already become a pair. I can see where _this_ is going.” Wild put a hand to his mouth as his shoulders shook a little. Twilight grinned down at him and held up his fist for a tap. The other did so with absolute delight.

When supper was ready, Wild ladled the spice gumbo he threw together into bowls and started to pass them out. “This smells amazing.” Time spoke when the newest hero set his in front of him, earning a smile in return.

Sky clapped his hands together as he eyed his own, “I’m very excited to try the food here! I wonder if it’ll be different from home.”

Wild snapped his fingers to get their attention, _I hope you all like it. It’s just a quick gumbo._

Legend smirked at Hyrule sitting across from him, “Well Hyrule didn’t cook it, so I’d say we’re pretty golden.” The brunette gasped and put a hand to his chest in offense, then stuck his tongue out at him.

Twilight waited somewhat patiently beside the pot that held the pumpkin stew he had been dying to get his hands on all day, fingers tapping against the counter. Wild grabbed two large bowls for this and chuckled at him. “What?” The taller one stood up straighter, but couldn’t keep from grinning, “This is good shit. I would kill someone for this.”

Wild hummed, eyes twinkling with amusement and fondness. He shifted to stand closer and press his shoulder to his, “Are you going to dance like you normally do?” He asked him in a quiet, teasing tone.

Twilight’s face went a little pink as he rubbed his neck and chuckled. “Um,” he glanced behind him at the others, then down at Wild, “maybe if the others weren’t here.” The other lifted a hand to his mouth to smother his laugh, then motioned to the table with his head. “You sure you don’t need any help?” He pushed back against him, leaning closer to the pot, “Because I’d be willing to lend my services for this, and for no charge too. Maybe you should let me taste it first to make sure it’s ready.” Wild lifted his ladle at him like he was ready to smack him with it. Twilight leaned back and huffed at him, “Fine, be like that.” He stepped around him to move towards the table, but knocked his shoulder into his back with enough force for Wild to lurch forward, then quickly danced out of the way when Wild tried to hit him with the ladle, snickering. He took a seat across from Time and next to the last empty chair then folded his arms over top of the table. He glanced over at his mentor, then did a double take when he saw he was smiling at him. Twilight stiffened a little, “What?”

“Oh nothing,” Time spoke as he poked his food with a spoon, but the twinkle in his eye clearly stated that it wasn’t _nothing._ Beside him Hyrule giggled into his hand and a couple others exchanged smirks.

Twilight frowned and narrowed his eyes at them, “What are ya’ll snickering about?” He leaned to the side to look down at his chair to make sure they hadn’t put something on his seat then back up at them.

Time glanced past Twilight to the hero tending to the stew, then back to him, setting his spoon down to sign, _We haven’t seen you so happy before, haven’t seen you smile so much. Makes us smile._ He explained. His descendent blinked in surprise then glanced down at the rest of the table. A few were engaged in conversation about the food, not paying attention, but a few were smiling him. Twilight messed with his hands a little and looked back to Time, giving him a shrug, but also a little smile. Ok, _maybe_ he was a little happy to see Wild again, and to actually remember it, and to be able to talk to him for once, and mess around with him, and to see him so happy. Maybe.

Wild came over with two bowls in hand and set one in front of Twilight before taking a seat beside him at the head of the table. The country boy had to keep himself from making a sound of delight, but he did sit up straighter and eagerly start to dig in. He closed his eyes and hummed in delight, enjoying the taste of the stew he had been waiting for all day, then smiled at the boy beside him, who was chewing his lip a bit in nerves. “This is amazing, it always is.” He told him as he scooped up some of the pumpkin broth and a piece of beef, “Tastes just like home. Totally worth the wait, oh my goddess.” Wild clapped his hands together a little then shook his fists to express his pleasure and excitement.

Wind slammed both his fits on the table, starling everyone into looking at him. His eyes were wide and he was doing that weird thing with his mouth again as he stared at Wild. “This was the most amazing thing I’ve tasted since I got sucked up by whatever weird magic brought us all here!” He shouted passionately.

Four rose a brow at him but tossed Wild a smile, “Yes, this is amazing. I can’t believe you made something so fast! It took you what… thirty, forty-five minutes?” The group hummed their agreement.

Time pointed to his bowl with his spoon, “What all is in this?”

Wild was a little pink from all the praise and shrugged, _Just some rice, a bunch of vegetables, herbs, and a pinch of Goron spice. Oh, and some milk to thicken it up a little._

A sound of understanding pass through the group as they glanced at each other and nodded. Wild blinked in confusion. Twilight nudged him with his elbow, “This group’s got a weird obsession for milk.”

“You’re one to talk, farm boy.” Warrior teased with a grin.

Twilight shrugged, “Helps me grow up big and strong.”

“Well clearly that’s not true for all of us,” Legend said as he sat back in his chair, crossed his arms, and smirked over at the shortest moment of their group, “isn’t that right, Four?”

Four’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped in offense, but he couldn’t keep from grinning. “Shut up! You’re such a shit!” A round of laughter passed through the group.

Sky turned and peered curiously at Twilight’s bowl, pointing to it with his spoon, “You guys have something different. What is it?”

“Pumpkin beef stew.” Twilight told him around a mouthful of food.

Wild waved his hand to get Sky’s attention, _I started it this morning before I knew I was going to have company. It was a treat for Twilight. It’s his favorite._

“Aww that’s so nice.” Sky smiled at him, “If you don’t mind me asking, how is it you and Twilight know each other already? It’s been a while, right?”

Wild shrugged and made a face as he met Twilight’s gaze, _I couldn’t say. We first met when… I was being attacked by a mob of monsters. He came out of nowhere and helped me defeat them. It was surprising to see a wolf actually_ help _me instead of attack me. After that we were always together. Well I mean, not all the time. Sometimes he’d run off and disappear, but I didn’t think anything of it. Just thought he had to go hunting or do whatever it is wolves do in their free time. It’s been… a little less than a year since then? Maybe?_ Twilight listened with just as much curiosity as the others at the table because he didn’t remember any of this. He remembered running around with him, but didn’t remember when it started and how. He knew they had been together for a long time, at least it felt that way.

“How did you even get here, Twilight?” Four asked with a raised brow, “It’s not like you just walked down the road and you’re here. It’s a completely different world.”

The older boy shrugged, “I don’t know. There’s still a lot I don’t remember. All I know is if and when he calls me, I’ll be there, no matter what I have to go through to get there.” Wild smiled at him, his eyes sparkling. Twilight returned it.

“Oh yes,” Legend spoke dryly, “we’re very aware.” Twilight made a face at him while the others laughed.

They finished their meal with chatter, jokes, and laughs. They shared stories and after a few glasses of wine, Warrior stood up to dramatically reenact a few of these stories, dragging Wild up to help him. He had instructed him to be the bad guy while he played the part of himself and went into attack. However, Wild shifted his weight and twisted to grab Warrior and flip him over his back and onto the floor, toppling down with him when the wine took his balance. The older boy let out a squawk of outrage and the others started to laugh. Legend slammed his fist against the table a few times. Wind jumped up and bolted over to jump onto the pile and wrap his arms around Wild’s neck from behind. The newest hero grinned as he placed a hand on Wind’s arms then turned to drop him onto Warrior, earning a very loud protest. Twilight was grinning so wide his cheeks hurt.

Some point after Sky pulled out his harp and waved it at the others before he started to play. Wild gasped and held up a finger then dashed over to the boxes under the stairs to dig around. He returned with an accordion around his neck, pulling it apart as he smiled at Sky, raising a brow. The other boy gasped in delight and quickly moved to stand beside him. Wild listened as he plucked a few cords then joined in with a tune he thought went along. Sky grinned and started to stomp his foot on the ground then did a little spin. The newest hero did the same, dancing in his spot as he played, then soon they were moving together. The others watching from the table started to clap along with the beat and Wind jumped up to dance with them.

“Hey old man!” Legend called to Time, “You should play something too!”

The two with instruments paused as the room erupted into encouraging pleas. Wild didn’t seem to understand and glanced around at the others. Time smiled and shook his head as he waved a hand at them, refusing for the first few moments, then sighed. “Alright fine.” The other boys cheered as he stood up and pulled an ocarina from his belt. He brought it to his lips, took a deep breath, then started to play a song that was up beat and joyful.

Wild narrowed his eyes a little, then gasped at the sound. Twilight grinned at him, “Recognize it?” The other nodded quickly and adjusted his fingers on his accordion then started to play long.

It startled Time into stopping to stare at him, “You know this song?”

Wild paused and smiled at him, nodding. Time said nothing, clearly wanting more of an explanation than that, but the boy bit his lip, hands occupied. “You can hear it in the forest.” Twilight jumped in for him, causing the eldest to look at him. “In the great woods just west of here, around the Lost Woods.” Time said nothing to this, glancing away as he pondered, then huffed and smiled as he gazed at something unseen for a fond moment. Twilight shrugged when Wild looked to him for an explanation.

“Alright then,” Time told Wild as he lifted his ocarina to his lips again, “see if you can keep up.” Then started to play once again. This seemed to comfort the boy and soon he was pulling his instrument along with the other’s tune, fingers and hand moving quickly and easily to push an upbeat sound into the dining room. Sky was unfamiliar with the song but added a few plucks of his harp in places he felt they fit. The music was so lively, stirring something deep inside Wild. He grinned and did a little spin then stepped side to side, eyes sparkling. Wind threw his hands into the air and laughed as he danced with him.

Twilight watched from his place at the table and laughed. He couldn’t help it! His chest felt so light and giddy that it just forced itself out of him. He had never seen Wild so open, carefree, and happy before. Of course they had their moments of roughhousing when he had been just a wolf running around with him, but this was different. There was this new light forming in his eyes as Wild looked around at the others, something he hadn’t seen before.

Eventually it got late and the others agreed it was probably time to head back to the inn. “I think I’ll hang back.” Twilight told them at the door, “Someone else can take my bed.”

Wind darted past him and the others to dash towards the inn, “I call dibs!” He cried, disappearing into the night.

Time chuckled a little in his throat as he watched him then looked to Twilight. “Don’t rush. We have to figure out what’s next anyways.” He raised his brows at him, “Have fun.” Then turned to follow the others back to the inn.

Twilight waved then closed the door and turned back to Wild, who was gathering the dishes from the table. He had his gloves off and sleeves rolled up so he could drop them in a sink filled with soup and water. The older hero walked over as he pulled off his own gloves, “Can I help?”

Wild looked up in surprise, “Oh, I didn’t realize you were staying.”

“Is that ok?”

“Yes!” Wild smiled up at him, seeming to brighten at the news, “I um… I was sort of hoping you’d stay. There’s a lot of stuff I wanted to talk to you about, ya know, now that we actually can.”

Twilight chuckled as he too felt an excitement from the very idea. He ruffled the younger one’s hair fondly, “Plenty of time for that later. Let’s get this cleaned up.” He moved around the table to gather some cups, arranging them to hold a few in one hand, then pulled the others together to hook his fingers into the tops. He dropped these in the sink then went back to stack dishes in a way that made it balance easily when it picked them up.

“It’s like you’ve done this before or something.” Wild chuckled as he grabbed a wet cloth and wiped down the table.

The older boy shrugged with a smile as he got to work scrubbing the plates in the basin of water. “Well I come from a real close knit village. Once a month we have these big dinners where everyone makes some’m and we eat at this one real big table. They made the kids do the dishes, and at the time, I was still considered a kid.”

“How old were you?”

“Ah… the last time I had a family dinner like that was like… four years ago? Just before I set out on my own adventure.”

“And how old were you when that happened?”

“I was seventeen.”

Wild beamed from where he had taken a seat in one of the chairs at the table, facing him. “I’m seventeen! Well I mean… kind of.”

Twilight smiled over his shoulder at him, “Seems to be the trend. Crazy they’re lettin’ a bunch’a teenagers run around in skirts waving magic swords.” The other boy laughed at this, earning one in return. When the older one placed the last dish in the strainer, he rubbed his hands dry with a towel then hung it over a handle on one of the drawers.

“Are you gonna stay the night?” Wild asked as he stood then glanced up towards the loft, biting his lip a little. “I don’t have a spare bed…”

“Yes you do.” The younger boy looked at him in confusion. Twilight motioned to the massively plush pillow still laying in the corner, complete with a rumpled blanket.

Wild frowned, “You can’t sleep on that. It’s on the floor and covered in fur.”

“Trust me, it’ll be just fine.”

The long haired hero watched as the other reached into his tunic and pulled out a black shard that had a leather cord wrapped around it so it could be worn as a necklace. He waved it at him with a little smirk then wrapped his fingers around it. Wild gasped as Twilight was engulfed in a swirling black mist that seemed to reflect a gold light. He took a few steps back in alarm, but when the mist dissipated, the wolf he had been running with all this time stood before him, sitting on his butt. Wild stared at him with large eyes for a moment, blinking a few times, then stepped forward to kneel in front of him. He narrowed his eyes to study him, then tilted his head, “Can you… understand me when you’re like this? Like you can when you’re a Hylian?” The wolf let out a little affirmative bark. The younger hero’s eyes went from curious to delighted as a smile slowly grew on his face. He lifted his hands, but hesitated, “Wait, would it be weird if I pet you now? I mean, I used to, but that was before I knew you were actually a person.” Twilight tilted his head at him then leaned forward to press the side of his face into one of the other’s hands. Wild chuckled and got to work digging his fingers into his cheeks, then under his chin. The wolf closed his eyes to enjoy this feeling. “You’re such a softy. Imagine what everyone would say if I told them that you enjoyed cuddles and pets.” Twilight pulled his head away to let out a low growl, narrowing his eyes at him a little. Wild laughed and put his hands back on his cheeks, “I’m kidding! I won’t tell a soul.”

Eventually he pushed himself up to stand and brushed his hands together to rid of extra fur. “So you’re gonna sleep like that on the pillow?” He asked. The wolf nodded then walked over to it. He grabbed a corner with his mouth then turned and trotted towards the stairs with it. He started up the steps, but paused when the blanket that had been laying over top slid off and tumbled down them. He looked back and Wild chuckled, leaning down to scoop it up. “I’ve got it.” Twilight turned back to his task and dragged the massive pillow up the stairs. He positioned it a few feet away from the side of Wild’s bed then walked around in a circle on it, before laying down. The blonde lifted the blanket to lay over across the wolf’s body, “There, all snuggled in.” He rubbed the other’s head then folded is arms into his lap. He tilted his head then moved a hand to finger at the yellow cuff still on Twilight’s ear, even now as a wolf. Wild smiled fondly at it, then pushed himself up to get ready for bed.

Twilight rested his head on the one paw he had out stretched and watched the other dig out some PJs from a dresser at the foot of his bed, then closed his eyes when he started to undress. Today had been so exhausting. Thinking back to this morning, when they were all still freaked thinking an evil sorcerer was out to get him seemed silly now. Then he found Wild and finally revealed to him his Hylian form. While that evening had been fun, filled with good food and good friends, the first hug they shared after all that worrying would forever be his favorite part of the day. How many times had he wanted to tell him something or comfort him when his nightmares became too much? How many times had he wanted to tell him how _proud_ of him he was? This boy walked out of a cave with no memories other than his name and immediately put his life on the line. Sure there had been a serious learning curve, but there had been no one there to teach him how to fight these monsters or which ingredients he found in the wild were for. He found all that out on his own by trial and error. Where all of them had someone there to help them along the way, Wild had no one, and he _still_ came out on top. Well… now he had them, and more especially, he had him. He couldn’t wait to show him the sword techniques he had learned in his own travels.

Barefoot patting against the wood floor caused Twilight to open his eyes again and look up at him. Wild was now just in an over sized, cream shirt, underwear, and had his long hair hanging down his back. When he squatted in front of him, Twilight lifted his head and allowed the other to rub his cheeks again. The other chuckled a little in his throat, eyes sparkling as he looked down at him, then he leaned forward to kiss the top of his head. “I love you, Twilight.” He told him, as he had done every night before they went to sleep, should the wolf still be around. He rubbed the top of his head a little, “Tomorrow’s going to be a brand new day, unlike any I’ve had before, and this time, I’ll get to share it with you.” Twilight felt his chest swell as he watched the other stand and move to his bed, pushing back the covers to climb underneath them. Wild blew out the candle on the nightstand then gave him one last smile before he rolled over to settle in for the night.

…

“I love you, too.”

Wild went still, eyes widening in the darkness, before rolling over to look down at the other. Much to his surprise, the wolf he kissed was still sitting there, looking up at him. He opened his mouth, but his confusion took his words. Finally, he huffed and gave him a fond little smile as he dropped his head back on the pillow. Perhaps everything that was worth saying… had already been spoken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading and sticking this out! Your feedback and encouraging words really helped me to finish this <3 I appreciate all of you.


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